All is Fair in Love and Kendo
by Aven92
Summary: 'What happened? I'm the best kendoka at this school. How did this guy beat me? Who is he? ', Inuyasha's thoughts raced as he picked himself off the floor. 'What did I get myself into now? I should never have come to the dojo! ', Kagome chastised herself.
1. Prologue

Hey, thanks for checking out my story. This first chapter is like a flashback/memory, like at the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean. Anyways, hope you like it!

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**Prologue**

Past

"Kagome, where do you think you're going?"

Turning around, a young girl about ten years old with black hair reaching the back of her knees, bangs sweeping across her forehead and bright blue eyes, dressed in full _kendogi_ and _bogu_ faced the stern look of her mother, apron-donned with her short, curly, black hair pinned back.

"I'm going to practice with otou-san", Kagome explained as she readjusted the _men _under her arm and positioned her _shinai_ on her shoulder. Kagome knew that the second her mother had spotted her walking down the hall towards the back door that she was in a world of trouble. The look of pure lividness and outrage on her mother's face only confirmed her suspicions.

"You certainly will not! You spend too much time swinging around that stick and not enough time learning things that are actually important for your future. No man is going to want a wife that would rather hit him with a piece of bamboo than cook him a meal. Now, you go change and come back with me to the kitchen and help me make dinner", Kagome's mother commanded.

Kagome was on the verge of protest when a man's voice spoke from behind her.

"Hanae, Kagome has to train if she wishes to reach _Judan_ and become a kendo master like Takeshi."

An elderly man, bald on the top of his head with gray hair pulled up into a top knot and wearing kendogi as well, approached and stood to the side of the mother and daughter pair to mediate as he always did. Kagome immediately made a deep bow to the man before standing up straight at attention. The man turned slightly to the side to give Kagome a little wink, assuring her that he would handle this.

"Otou-san, you, yourself, have said that there is no place for a woman, or a young girl no less, in a dojo", Hanae argued.

"Hmph. That was a very long time ago when women were not allowed no matter what my opinions were. I have never held anything against female _kendoka_, but in those times it was believed that women were incapable of the strength required for learning kendo, and we were most definitely proven wrong. Now, weren't we", Katsuo answered with a chuckle as he motioned towards Kagome as a perfect example.

"Kagome, you go on to the dojo. Your otou-san is waiting for you."

"Hai, ojii-san."

Kagome bowed once again before turning to hurry down the hall. Sliding open the _shoji_, she stepped outside and looked back at her mother and grandfather before sliding it closed again.

The second Kagome was gone, Hanae swiftly turned to fully face her father. "Otou-san, Kagome is my daughter and it is my job to raise her, not yours!"

Katsuo's expression suddenly turned serious and determined, as well as his voice, "Hanae, Kagome has been gifted with an extraordinary talent of which you should be extremely proud. Yet, you continue to try and suppress her from one of the few things she finds happiness in. You never interfere with Souta's training, however little that may be. Do you find enjoyment in this?"

"Of course not! My only wish is for her to be happy, but I am thinking of her future happiness which she will not find in kendo. Everyone says that men and women are now equal, but when it comes down to her having a successful career in a male dominated sport, she doesn't have a chance. She would do better to pursue a safe and secure future in a husband. Kami-sama knows how hard it is for a woman to find even a normal job. So, I would appreciate it if you would leave my daughter's future in my hands."

Katsuo's eyes softened at the truth I his daughter's words. "I understand your feelings, Hanae. But, you must realize that what you are attempting to do is all in vein. In reality, Kagome has no need for training. She is already at the physical, intellectual, and spiritual level for a Judan and no matter how much pressure you put on her, she will choose her own path in the end."

With that said, Katsuo left to go rest before dinner, leaving Hanae to stare after him in disbelief and contemplate his words.

_Otou-san, if what you say is true, then you are telling me Kagome is on the path to a hopeless future. No! I don't care what he says. I will ensure my daughter's future even if she hates me for it._

With a newly discovered determination, Hanae returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

* * *

The loud clunk of the _souzu_ echoed in the distance as Kagome made her way to the family dojo just across the courtyard. No matter how many times she had seen the Higurashi dojo, it was always breathtakingly beautiful. Surrounding the traditional styled building was a lavish garden filled with hundreds of exotic flora. A small water fall spouted from the side of the mountain which the Higurashi family home and dojo sat at the base. Fed by the waterfall, a winding creek cut through the garden with stone paths occasionally following its banks, but never crossing it.

However as she slowly strode by, Kagome was distracted from the beautiful scenery by the look of anger and disappointment on her mother's face when she left.

_I can't stand it when she's mad at me. I guess it wouldn't hurt to spend some time helping her in the kitchen, but all I would be doing is running back and forth to get ingredients, not actually cooking. Snore! I just wish she'd understand how much I love kendo._

Deciding not to brood over it any longer, Kagome increased her speed as she deviated around the dojo and onto one of the garden paths which followed the creek until it came to a large koi pond with water so clear that every koi fish could have been seen if it weren't for the dozens of water lilies covering the surface.

As Kagome continued along the path, she headed to a certain area on the bank where there was a dense amount of water lilies. She then left the path to approach the back before hopping across the pond on stepping stones about two inches from the surface of the water, completely hidden from sight unless one already knew they were there.

Once across the pond, Kagome hurriedly weaved through the dense foliage to reach a roughly carved set of steps heading up the mountain side. She sprinted up the stairs, skipping every other step until they stopped at a leveled cliff like area. Grass mostly covered the area except for the small trees and bushes bordering three sides of the cliff. Amongst the trees were wild rose bushes whose petals were white at the base and light pink at the tips.

Across the field at the edge of the cliff stood a tall man dressed in kendogi with dark brunette hair that reached below his shoulder blades pulled up in a top knot and long bangs framed his face. His back was towards Kagome, facing the horizon where the sun was beginning its descent.

As Kagome approached the man, he turned towards her and smiled warmly. "What kept you, bara kaben?"

The guilty look on Kagome's face alone was enough to tell Takeshi what had happened. He sighed and picked up his shinai.

"Don't worry about it too much, Kagome. She will come around eventually. For now, how about we have a few matches before your oka-san comes looking for us and discovers our hiding place. If that happens, we'll never get a moments peace. In fact, she'd probably scold the both of us for hiding from her."

Kagome laughed at her father's obvious attempt at cheering her up. Although, the offer to practice her kendo would have sufficed.

"Hai, to-chan! Let's have a match."

* * *

Glossary

kendogi: kendo uniform consisting of a kimono and hakama

bogu: protective armor

men: helmet worn for kendo to protect the face

shinai: sword made out of either bamboo or carbon fiber

Judan: highest kendo rank (the tenth dan)

kendoka: practitioner of kendo

shoji: sliding door

souzu: device made to scare away birds and beasts damaging agriculture; consists of a segmented tube, usually of bamboo, pivoted to one side of its balance point. At rest, its heavier end is down and resting against a rock. A trickle of water into the upper end of the tube accumulates and eventually moves the tube's center of gravity past the pivot, causing the tube to rotate and dump out the water. The heavier end then falls back against the rock, making a sharp sound, and the cycle repeats

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Thanks for reading. Please review if you'd like.


	2. First Day

Me: Alright, let's get rolling.

Inuyasha: Would you just type already?

Me: Okay, geez! Cranky, much?

Inuyasha: Hurry up. This story ain't gonna write itself.

Me: Don't make me get Kagome to sit you.

Inuyasha: Keh! Like I'm afraid of her.

Kagome: Inuyasha!

Inuyasha: No, wait! Don't . . .

Kagome: SIT! (Inuyasha smacks into the ground)

Lol! I always wanted to do that. xD Okie doke, thanks to all who read my prologue and a big thanks to purduepup for the lovely review with a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY as well. And, without further delay . . .

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**Chapter 1**

First Day

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, **SLAM!**

Slowly opening one eye, the blue-eyed, long-black-haired girl groaned as she spotted her fist smashed into her alarm clock on top of her night stand.

"Ugh. Mou! First day of school and I've already destroyed my alarm clock. Oka-san is gonna kill me."

Kagome grabbed her cell phone from the night stand to check the time as 5:00 am. She sat up from her bed and groaned once again at the cluttered state of her room. Her mom would undoubtedly be bugging her to clean it up when she would be back from school.

It wasn't dirty or covered with smelly clothes, but it had progressively become every claustrophobe's worst nightmare over the summer break. Posters of kendo celebrities, battling kendoka, step-by-step kendo attacks, her favorite manga and anime, and famous artists and artwork, as well as Kagome's own artwork covered the walls. Stacks of Kendo World magazines, notebooks, textbooks, binders, folders, and sketchbooks littered her desk. The bookcase had overflowed with random novels, manga, and DVDs which had been scattered across the room when Kagome could no longer find a spot to shove anything else onto the shelves. Plus, her dresser was covered with the back-to-school clothes her mother had bought for her.

The pile of frilly, bright-colored clothes made Kagome cringe. The hideous things would be returned to the store within the week, and then Kagome would have the money to get something more her style. Until then, last year's clothes would do just fine.

Kagome hopped out of bed in her old t-shirt and pajama bottoms and crossed the room to pick an outfit from her closet. She pulled out three articles of clothing and started changing.

She now wore a black, HP, graphic t-shirt that stated "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" with a long-sleeved, gray shirt underneath and a pair of grayscale, camouflage, Tripp pants. With that out of the way, she left for the bathroom down the hall.

Before reaching the bathroom, Kagome stopped at the door right before the bathroom and softly knocked. When there was no answer, she opened the door to a pig-sty of a room and leaped over the piles of junk to the lump on the bed. Kagome began poking the lump until it stirred to life and the head of Kagome's brother popped out from under the sheets.

"Kagome! What are you doing? It's way too early to be up", Souta complained groggily.

"Today's your first day of high school and unless you get up now, you are going to be late. It's a long walk, so don't expect me to be waiting for you. We're leaving at seven, so get ready."

"Are you still gonna make the lunches?"

"Of course. You'd probably starve if I didn't."

"Heh. What would I do without you, onee-chan?"

Kagome laughed and left the room as Souta crawled out of bed. She continued to the bathroom where she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and combed and straightened her hair.

After she had finished getting ready and had stuffed her messenger bag with her school supplies, it was six o'clock. As she left her room to head downstairs, she stopped at the sight of her dad in the picture on her dresser.

It was the last picture of them together before he had gotten sick. It was taken at their favorite training area after they had just finished their daily kendo practice and were taking a break. Seeing the huge smile on her dad's face, Kagome made a sad little smile back at the picture.

"It's been seven years, to-chan. I'm starting my third year of high school today. Wish me luck."

* * *

Souta had bustled downstairs around 6:30 just as Kagome was setting a plate of breakfast in his place at the table. She had already eaten and went back to packing their lunches.

At seven o'clock, the siblings pulled on their tennis shoes and stepped out into the courtyard.

Along with the dojo and family home, the property also housed a shrine. The shrine had belonged to Kagome's mother's family, the Fujiwara family, but now the shrine would pass down to Kagome and Souta as they got older.

Kagome and Souta hurried past the shrine and the dojo and down the large flight of steps to reach the street. Souta out of habit began walking in the direction of his old middle school.

"Hello! Earth to Souta?" Kagome called from the opposite direction.

"Huh?" was Souta's intelligent response as he turned around.

"You're going to high school now. Remember? We walk this way."

"Oh, right. Gomen."

After Souta caught up with her, Kagome regretted keeping him from going the wrong way or for even waking him up that morning, for that matter. Their entire walk consisted of him bombarding her with questions and pleading for tips on what high school would be like, not to mention his newly found obsession with the kendo team.

"Come on! Give me the inside info on the kendo team?"

"Why would I know anything about our school's loser team?"

"What do you mean 'loser team'? They won championships last year."

"Please. That had to have been a fluke. Our team had never even made it to the preliminaries up until last year."

"Or, they could have some new blood on the team. It's all about who they recruit, right? And, you said you don't pay attention to it, so you wouldn't know."

"I guess. Why do you want to know so much, anyways?"

"Because, I'm trying out for the team this afternoon! I've got all my equipment and everything. See?" Souta exclaimed as he turned his shoulders to sport his duffel bag stuffed with his kendo equipment.

"You know you're just going to be schlepping your entire first year for the upper classmen if you do get picked, right? Plus, only the best of the first years are kept on in their second year."

"So? I'm still going for it. So, cheer for me, okay?"

"How am I supposed to cheer for you, exactly?"

"Come to the try-outs with me."

"No way."

"Even if I begged?"

"No way."

Suddenly, Souta's voice was serious and concerned, "Is it because of oka-san or otou-san?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why won't you set foot in a dojo?"

"Baka. I've been in . . ."

"Besides our dojo", Souta cut her off.

Kagome didn't answer.

"So, it's both of them? Because of what happened with otou-san and because oka-san doesn't approve of you being a kendoka?"

Kagome still didn't answer. Souta was going to push the issue further, but one glance to his sister's face made him hesitate. The look on her face was broken and crestfallen. He felt like kicking himself for doing that to his sister. He knew it was still a touchy subject for her.

"G-gomen nasai, Kagome. I didn't mean to upset you. Just do this for me, okay?", Souta pleaded.

Souta watched Kagome's face for about half a minute until Kagome finally answered with a short nod of her head.

"Thanks, Kagome", Souta sighed with relief.

* * *

The rest of their walk was silent until they reached Ryoo Senior High School. Upon entering the school, Kagome directed Souta where to go and they parted ways.

Only a handful of kids had already shown up since it was only 7:45. So, Kagome headed to her classroom in 3-A. The room was of course vacant except for Kagome's longstanding high school teacher, Myoga. He was a rather short man with a pencil mustache and beady, squinty eyes, and his hair seemed to have migrated from his head to his ears.

"Ohayoo, Kagome. How was your summer?" Myoga greeted as he looked up from the papers on his desk.

"Ohayoo gozaimasu, Myoga-sensei. My summer was alright. And yours?"

"I spent a good deal of my summer failing to defeat old Totosai at shogi and go. But, there is no doubt in my mind that I will break his strategy and be victorious!"

"You sound like two battling feudal lords", Kagome laughed.

"Naturally. So, this will be your third year as my student, eh? This must be an exciting year for you."

"More stressful, actually."

"Of course, there is always work to be done. And, I must continue my own work", Myoga explained as he continued his paperwork.

Kagome proceeded to the back window seat of the classroom. She sat down and pulled out her sketchpad to begin a new drawing she had been contemplating.

Soon, other students began milling in with the standard greeting to Myoga and the chattering among reunited friends. Once again, Kagome's two best friends were in separate classes, so she had no one to catch up with. Ignoring the steadily increasing roar of students, Kagome continued her drawing until she heard the bell ring and Myoga called for everyone to be seated.

As Kagome reached down to pull her notebook out of her bag, she heard Myoga chastising some kid for being late to class. Myoga gave him his first and only warning and told him to take a seat.

_Honestly! You'd think a third year would be responsible enough to get to class on time for the first day at least_, Kagome thought as she searched for her pen.

Once she found it, she sat back up to watch the tardy boy sit directly in front of her. She immediately recognized the boy as Inuyasha Hayashi. He was a hard sight to miss with his unnatural golden eyes and pearly, white hair long enough to reach down his back with long forelocks and bangs covering his forehead. He was relatively tall and in pretty good shape.

Kagome recalled that they had been in the same class since they were first years. Inuyasha also happened to be the most popular guy in school. Kagome had never personally talked to him or even had her existence acknowledged by him before, so she didn't really know what was so great about him. But, apparently, all the girls seemed to think he was pretty special.

Losing interest, Kagome reverted her attention to Myoga as he began his speech for the beginning of the year. However, Inuyasha had chosen to ignore the speech and took in his surroundings. As he adjusted to sit with his back to the window, he glanced over the front and the other side of the class until he became board and realized someone was sitting behind him, eagerly listening to the old man at the front of the class.

When he looked behind him, he saw an incredibly cute girl whom he didn't recognize. Her choice of clothing told him that she was nothing like the preppy girls that would fall all over themselves just to get his attention. None the less, she was still beautiful just in the more tom boy like way.

Inuyasha rattled his brain trying to think of who the girl might be. Yet, he couldn't remember ever having seen her at school. She was probably just a new kid and he missed her introduction because he was late.

Feeling the pair of eyes on her, Kagome glanced over to see Inuyasha blatantly staring straight at her with a little smirk. Once he realized he had her attention, he smiled and winked at her.

The absurd gesture almost made Kagome burst out in laughter, but instead she kept herself composed and gave him the confused look that basically said, "WTF? Are you crazy or something?" She then turned back to the front of the room to ignore him and continue listening to the teacher.

To say Inuyasha was shocked would have been an understatement. He couldn't believe she didn't get all giggly or embarrassed that he had even looked at her, no less winked. He had never been brushed off like that before. Now, she only interested him even more.

* * *

During their history, economics, and literature lessons, Inuyasha occasionally slipped a glance over his shoulder at Kagome every few minutes. He still couldn't fathom how she held no interest in him. In fact, she looked like she was deliberately ignoring him. His stares were so obvious and yet she acted as if she didn't notice.

At noon, the lunch bell dismissed the students to their meals. Most of the students just pulled out their bento boxes at their desks while a few grabbed their things and left, including Kagome.

Inuyasha watched as she exited the room and wondered who she would be eating lunch with if she was new. Putting it out of his mind, Inuyasha joined one of his friends at the front of the room.

"Hey, Inuyasha! Guess you're stuck in the back this year, huh?" called Inuyasha's best friend, Miroku Fukui. He was the same height as Inuyasha with black hair pulled back into a short dragon's tail at the nape of his neck and a pair of deep violet eyes.

"What are you going on about?" Inuyasha replied.

"Don't you remember? Where ever you sit on the first day is your permanent seat for the rest of the year. At least, that's how it's always been in old Myoga's class."

"Oh, right. Guess I forgot."

_Hm. I can live with that. This will give me the chance to find out who that new girl is,_ Inuyasha thought as he scarffed down his lunch.

* * *

Kagome entered classroom 3-C where she spotted her best friends Sango and Hojo sitting together by an open window. The two became aware of her entrance to the room once she was a few feet away from them.

"Hey, Kagome! How was your summer?" Hojo brightly greeted her.

Akitoki Hojo was Kagome's best friend since they had met in Kindergarten. He had always been a very cheerful person and a health nut, but he was quite the klutz. He had short, sandy brown hair and hazel eyes, and was rather skinny.

"It was good. What about you guys?" Kagome asked as she sat down and began to eat her lunch.

"Same old, same old. My parents dragged me out into the sticks to visit family and Hojo got stuck helping with his family's store, again", Sango replied blandly.

Sango Akiyama and Kagome became friends when they met in middle school; she was Kagome's first real girl friend. Sango had always been on the aggressive side, and was very defensive and strongly opinionated. She had dark brown eyes and brown hair that reached the middle of her back which she kept up in a ponytail.

"Sorry we didn't get the chance to hang out over the summer with you, Kagome", Sango apologized.

"That's alright. I was stuck helping my mom around the house."

"Is she still trying to make you turn into a good little housewife?" Sango asked exasperatedly.

"Yeah."

"Well, it's not like your bad at house work or anything. You're actually a great cook. Why does she keep pressuring you about all this", Hojo reasoned.

"Because, she wants to make sure Kagome chooses to be a homemaker instead of getting an actual career" Sango supplied. "You and I both know that Kagome has got the brains for any job what with her having straight A's throughout her entire school career. Plus, if it weren't for her mom, she could have been on any of the sports teams, gotten scholarships and become a professional sports player. Not to mention, she would probably be known as a prodigy if she had been involved in the ken . . ."

"Will you guys stop it, already? I'm not perfect, you know", Kagome cut Sango off while blushing furiously.

"Oh, please. You're every parent's dream child", Sango teased.

"Let's just talk about something else", Kagome pleaded.

"Alright. What should we talk about?" Hojo complied.

"Well, you know Inuyasha? He sat in front of me this morning and when I caught him staring at me, he smiled and winked at me. And, he just kept staring back at me every now and then all throughout class. It was kind of creeping me out."

"That's weird", Hojo commented suspiciously.

"Maybe he has a crush on you", Sango laughed.

"I doubt that. Why would he suddenly be interested in me after two years of being in the same class?"

Sango was about to make a comment when the bell rang to return to class. Kagome packed up her things, said goodbye, and left for her classroom.

* * *

The second Kagome stepped into the classroom, she found Inuyasha once again staring right at her. His eyes never left her as she walked to her seat, sat down, and pulled out her notebook and pen. Even though the situation was highly uncomfortable, Kagome resolved to ignore him for the remainder of their lessons.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done, as Inuyasha had decided to completely ignore Myoga straight through calculus and physics and never take his eyes off of her.

_Is he always like is? If so, I don't know how he managed to even get accepted to this school, _Kagome ranted exasperatedly to herself.

By the end of their last academic class, Kagome was counting the seconds until she could leave for her elective courses and escape Inuyasha's unrelenting stare. As soon as the bell rang, she bolted out the door knowing that she would be safe in her home economics class. No way Inuyasha would take that class? But, her self ease didn't last long.

After arriving in her home economics class early, she sat down to relax only to watched Inuyasha reluctantly and embarrassedly walk into the classroom shortly after.

_Great. This is what I get for leaving my electives to my oka-san to choose_, Inuyasha griped to himself as he strode into the class. But then, he caught sight of his mystery girl, _Maybe this won't be so bad after all._

Inuyasha once again took the seat directly in front of hers and continued his one person staring contest throughout the class. Who was this girl and why was she desperately trying to ignore him? It was driving him nuts!

When it came time for the next and last elective course of the day, Kagome once again ran from the room, leaving a puzzled Inuyasha behind her.

_Okay, Just relax, Kagome. All you have left is art class and the possibility of him being in that class, too, is astronomical, and impossible. I'll just take my time getting to my next class so I can calm down._

But, as soon as she got to art class, there was only one seat left and it was right beside Inuyasha.

_N-no way! This guy is stalking me!_

Even as she began to freak out in her head, Kagome quietly sat down in the vacant seat. She remained silent and spent the time either listening to the teacher or working on the free draw art assignments the teacher had given them. All the while, she could sense Inuyasha glancing back and forth between his easel and her.

_At least, once this is over I can ditch him and go home. Wait, crap! I forgot about Souta's tryouts. FML!_

The bell that sounded in the end of the school day rang and all the students bursted out into the hallways, eager to leave the school as soon as possible.

_Maybe Souta will be one of the first ones to tryout and we can head on home_, Kagome hopefully thought as she gathered her things together. As she reached for her sketchbook, she saw a hand grab it from her reach. The hand belonged to Inuyasha who began flipping through the sketchbook's various used pages.

"Wow! You're really good", Inuyasha complemented on her drawings as he handed Kagome's sketchbook back to her.

"Thank you", Kagome nervously replied as she stuffed the sketchbook in her bag and quickly ran out of the classroom despite Inuyasha's attempts to make her wait.

"Man, she must be shyer than I thought", Inuyasha observed to himself as he departed from the room.

_But, I'll figure her out. I'll have the entire day tomorrow to get her to talk to me._

* * *

So . . . tired. Must . . . sleep. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .

Please Review


	3. Try Outs

Konnichiwa! I know it's been a while, but if it's any consolation, my life has been hell for the past week with schedule changing for this semester. The only reason I'm uploading this now is because we just had a big snow storm come through and I'm stuck at home with nothing to do. If the snow doesn't melt you might even get chapter 3, but I'm not making any promises. I really hope you like this chapter. I've been working on it for quite a while now. And, don't be surprised if I through a few unknown Japanese phrases in here as I continue the story. ^-^ I'm taking my online Japanese class and I think it would be good practice, but we're only on the basics right now so nothing you probably don't already know will be in this chapter. Also, for those of you who have subscribed to this story, I know that there already was a chapter 2, but there were some technical difficulties and I had to re-upload. Please enjoy and leave me a little note telling me what you think when you're done.

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Chapter 2

Try-outs

Packs of teenage boys headed out the back doors of the school. Their destination: the Ryoo High Dojo. The face of each and every one of them was lit with confidence and determination; all except for one boy who stood at the door starring after them.

Souta stood stiff as a board with arms folded, gym bag over his shoulder, and right foot tapping out his impatience. Looking down to his wrist, he watched the second hand tick past the hour and minute hands which read 3:45 pm.

_Where is she? Try-outs start at four and I still have to change clothes._

**BAM!**

Souta whirled around at the sound of the door slamming into the side of the school only to be swept back around and dragged in the direction of the dojo.

"Come on! You're gonna be late!" Kagome yelled as she released her hold on Souta so he could run beside her.

"Where were you?" Souta panted as he tried to keep up with her.

"Gomen nasai! I was shaking off some stalker guy!" (lol it rhymes ^-^)

"You mean you got a new one?" Souta laughed.

"Oh, shut up!"

"Well, who is this guy?" Souta asked as they approached the dojo.

"I'll tell you later! Focus on your try-outs!"

"Thanks for coming, onee-chan."

Kagome looked over at her brother, seeing the true appreciation on his face.

"Wouldn't miss it."

* * *

Inuyasha walked out of the boy's locker room as the first of the potential new recruits were coming in. But, the sight of him in his kendogi had them all frozen in their tracks with expressions of pure awe. Inuyasha, however, was less than impressed.

_Man, all these kids are puny. They're nothing but a bunch of twigs,_ Inuyasha remarked to himself.

Inuyasha weeded his way through the crowd of boys who all immediately squished themselves against the walls to let him through. A couple of boys began whispering, telling the others that this guy was in fact the captain of the kendo team, Inuyasha Hayashi. The corresponding 'Oooos' and 'Aaaas' had Inuyasha cringing at the prospect of these guys becoming his fan club like the previous captain had. That was definitely something he didn't want to happen.

As Inuyasha neared the end of the hallway that opened to the dojo, he was surprised by a knock to the chest, almost tumbling backwards. Looking down, he saw the cause of his near blunder propping himself up off the ground from which he had been knocked, rubbing the back of his neck.

The kid had short black hair and dark turquoise eyes. His face was unfamiliar to Inuyasha, yet he felt as if he had seen the kid before.

When the kid stood up, Inuyasha noticed that, unlike the other wimps, this guy was at least a little built. He'd have to shape up a little more, but he looked like he already had a good start.

"Sumimasen. I should've been watching where I was going", the kid apologized.

"That's alright." Inuyasha normally would have been a little ticked at the guy who bumped into him, but the kid had his spirits lifted a bit.

_Looks like there's hope for this team yet. Maybe he'll be a good example for the other first years._

"What's your name?" Inuyasha asked.

"Souta. Souta Higurashi. I'm a first year and I'm trying out for the team, but you probably already knew that."

"My name's Inuyasha Hayashi. I'm the kendo team's captain," Inuyasha informed as he offered his hand.

"Oh! H-hajimemashite, Hayashi-senpai", Souta nervously corrected himself as he respectively bowed to Inuyasha.

"You can just call me Inuyasha if you want", he jokingly replied, "The whole upper and lower classmen thing is just annoying to me. You'd better go get changed before old Totosai gets here."

"Oh, right! It was nice to meet you, Inuyasha-senpai."

Inuyasha turned to watch Souta sprint down the hall to the locker room before he entered the dojo. Stepping out, he saw all his old teammates from last year chatting away to waste some time.

As Inuyasha approached the group, one of the guys turned his head and smirked. The guy had light green eyes with auburn hair pulled up in a short poofy ponytail.

"Hey, Inuyasha. Did you see the first years? They're all a bunch of wimps," the guy called out.

Miroku then stepped out from the group to stand beside him.

"You were the same way last year when you joined the team. Remember, Shippou?" Miroku teased.

"I may have been little, but I wasn't that little, Miroku," Shippou defensively replied.

"Shippou's right. Those kids are pathetic, but Totosai will whip them into shape, if he even lets them on the team," Inuyasha said as he joined his two friends.

"So, Inuyasha, who was the girl you kept starring at all through class?" Miroku teasingly inquired.

"How do you know I was staring at anyone?" Inuyasha accused while a tint of pink began to appear on his cheeks.

"Well, after you ignored like ten of my texts, I looked back to see you drooling all over yourself while you stared at the chick behind you. She was pretty hot by the way, if you're into the punk tom-boy type. Did you ask her out?"

"No, I never got the chance. But, she's in both my elective classes and I tried to start a conversation with her after our last class. I commented on her drawings which are really good, but all she did was give me a quick thank you and ran out of the room."

"The girl actually ditched you? I never thought I'd see the day when a girl flat out ignored you," Miroku laughed.

"Keh. Just drop it, okay? Let's focus on the . . ." Inuyasha cut off as he stared over towards the fold out chairs that had been put out for the spectators. Sitting there was the girl they were just talking about with her head bent over her sketchbook, drawing once again.

"Hey, is that the girl?" Shippou asked.

"It sure is. Now that I've got a better look, she's even more gorgeous than I had thought. Hey, Inuyasha, stop staring with your mouth hanging open and go talk to her," Miroku prodded.

Inuyasha was about to do just that when the first years filed into the dojo followed by Totosai, the kendo team's sensei. He was a thin, old man with a bald spot covering the top of his head, a fluffy top knot, a mustache, a wavy goatee, and bugged out eyes.

"Alright, everyone, file into line", Totosai ordered as the new recruits scrambled around trying to figure out exactly how they were supposed to file into line. Totosai shook his head in disbelief at the fools before him.

Inuyasha couldn't believe his bad luck. There was his mystery girl right in front of him and he couldn't go talk to her because he had to deal with these morons. Plus, why was she even here in the first place? Was she wanting to try-out for the girl's team and realized that their try-outs wouldn't be until tomorrow? Was she waiting for someone? Was she waiting for a friend or her boyfriend?

With more questions now than answers, Inuyasha reluctantly joined Totosai up front as his teammates instructed the hopeless newcomers. His luck seemed to be even worse once he noticed someone step up beside him. The man was tall and had the same long, silver hair and golden eyes as Inuyasha, but he had a more stern expression and stiff demeanor.

"Hey, bro. Dad told me you had become Totosai's assistant for the team," Inuyasha greeted his older brother.

"Do not address me so casually. In this dojo I am your sensei and nothing more."

"Well, excuse me, Sesshomaru-sensei," Inuyasha sarcastically replied.

_Keh. An arrogant jackass as always. Man, this year's gonna suck._

* * *

Kagome had been so engrossed in her drawing that she only looked up once the boys who were trying out had already been paired up and with current team members and the matches had begun. She quickly located Souta and saw he was doing really well. He had just finished his first match without letting his opponent score a single touch.

Glancing over the rest of the room, she noticed a familiar boy swiftly defeating his opponent.

_Oh, crap! Inuyasha's on the kendo team? Great. Just great. Now I might have to deal with him when he notices I'm here, if he hasn't already. Maybe I can sneak outside and wait for Souta there._

"Hey, Kagome, I missed you", a voice from behind her breathed into Kagome's ear.

Kagome jumped in surprise, clutching her chest to slow her erratic heartbeat. She would have screamed had she not clamped her other hand to her mouth.

Turning around, she met the cocky smirk of Kouga Oshiro, Kagome's personal stalker. He had dark, tan skin with pale, azure eyes and long, black hair pulled up in a ponytail. Kouga had made it his life's mission to persuade Kagome to go out with him and even after two years of being turned down he still couldn't take a hint.

"Kouga! You nearly scared me to death. What are you doing here?" Kagome warily asked.

"I'm on the kendo team and I'm running late, but I had to come say hi when I saw you. So, why are you here? Did you come to see me?"

"My brother is trying out for the team."

"Well, I'll put in a good word for him", Kouga offered, trying to win her over once again.

"Please don't. Souta wants to earn his place on the team himself," Kagome pleaded exasperatedly.

"Alright, then. I'll see you later." Kouga stood up and disappeared down the hallway leading to the locker room.

_Great. Another year of _"Dodge-Kouga"_. My luck just keeps getting worse._

* * *

After another half an hour, most of the matches were over with a few still swinging away at each other and constantly yelling out their strikes. Souta had won most of his matches against the lower level team members. Although he put up a good fight, he ultimately lost against the more experienced kendoka. Once he had finished his last match, Souta returned to the locker room with the other boys, signaling to Kagome on his way that he would be ready to leave when he got back.

Before Kagome got up from her seat, she made a sure to take a quick survey of the dojo. Seeing that Kouga was still busy with extra matches that Totosai gave him for being late, Kagome grabbed her things and made a break for the nearest exit. Maybe her luck hadn't run out after all.

At the other end of the dojo, Inuyasha had just finished his last match and was on his way to the locker room. But then, he looked up to see his mystery girl running towards the exit. Forgetting about changing out of his kendogi and bogu and the fact that he was dripping with sweat, Inuyasha sprinted for the exit to follow her.

However, just as he was about to pass the locker room a crowd of boys stepped out of the locker room and right into his path. Inuyasha screeched to a stop and began to push his way through the crowd. Just before he was free of the mob, he noticed one of the boys break from the others and run towards the exit. It was the same boy from the locker room hallway that had bumped into him earlier.

Once Inuyasha had freed himself, he started running again to bulldoze through the door, but was stopped in his tracks by the blinding, evening sun. After his eyes adjusted, he quickly scoured the school yard for his mystery girl. Once he had her in his sights, he was shocked at what he saw.

The scene before him held the mystery girl laughing heartily and walking beside the same boy he had talk to earlier. But, what had really shocked Inuyasha were the nearly identical features of the two. Both had the same solid black hair and each their own strange, shade of blue eyes.

_No wonder that kid looked so familiar. Those two could be twins. They have got to be siblings. No doubt about it. What did that kid say his name was? Souta. Souta Higurashi. That's it!_

Inuyasha continued to stare after the two until they turned around the corner of the school building. With the mystery girl out of his sights, Inuyasha turned back to the dojo to go change so that he could leave. This day had been more exhausting and surprisingly exciting than he could have imagined.

* * *

*Just in case if any of you were confused, hajimemashite literally means 'How do you do?' and is used only when you are meeting someone for the first time.

See that that little speech bubble and the blue text beside it. =3 Click it! xD

Sayoonara!


	4. Parents

Minasan, konnichiwa! Thanks for all the reviews and for coming back to read my new chapter. I worked extra hard on this one and I hope you all enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. (-.-')

One of my friends told me that even though this is a "fanfiction" I should still have a disclaimer, so there it is.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Parents

Kagome had hoped that Souta would've forgotten about her mentioning the new stalker guy earlier that day. Unfortunately for Kagome, that was not the case. Once they had left school, Souta brought up the subject and refused to let Kagome off the hook. No way was he going to miss out on something this interesting. So, Kagome reluctantly described her entire school day from the first to the last bell. By the time Kagome had finished spilling her guts, they had reached the bottom of the stairs leading to their home.

"So, you're stuck with this guy in every class for the entire day?" Souta asked incredulously as they began to ascend the concrete steps.

"Yep. Plus, I think Kouga might be in the same class with us for our academic courses, so I'm gonna have to deal with both of them for most of the day."

"Man, that sucks. By the way, who is this new guy? You never told me his name."

"He's not really new. We've been in the same class for the last two years. His name is Hayashi", Kagome answered as they reached the top of the steps and continued walking in the direction of the house.

"Hold on. You mean Inuyasha Hayashi? As in the captain of the kendo team, Inuyasha Hayashi?"

"Well, I didn't know he was the captain, but yeah, that's the one", Kagome nonchalantly replied.

"This just keeps getting more interesting by the second", Souta laughed.

"Glad you're finding this so entertaining."

"Hey, don't get mad at me because you've suddenly become 'Little Miss Popular'."

"I'm not popular. Besides, Hayashi was probably just being nice to me so he could convince me to tutor him or do his homework. Every year, at least one of the jocks has tried to pull that crap on me. A few even offered to pay me like a hundred or even two hundred bucks for each assignment I completed for them, but I never bothered helping any of them."

"Did you ever think that this time might be different? Maybe Hayashi actually likes you?"

"I doubt that after two years of being in the same class he would just suddenly start being into girls like me instead of the preppy fan girls that follow the kendo team around like love-drunk puppies."

"But, what if he does like you? Hey, you think mom would approve if you two started going out?" Souta joked as he grasped the handle of the front door. Before Souta slid the door open, Kagome grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face her.

"Don't you dare say a word about this to okaa-san. I just barley convinced her to let me attend high school. If she even suspects that stuff is going on besides me studying, she'll pull me out of school and I'll never graduate."

"Relax, Kagome. I was just joking. Besides, why would okaa-san want to pull you out of school?"

"Because, kids aren't legally required to attend school after their third year of middle school, remember? Plus, okaa-san is paying the tuition for me to attend Ryoo High. If she figures out about all this crap happening at school, she won't see any reason to keep letting me go to there. All she has to do is stop the payments and I'm out, so please don't say anything about this to anyone", Kagome pleaded.

"Don't worry, onee-san. I swear I won't say a word."

"Doomo", Kagome sighed in relief. She then stepped around Souta and opened the sliding door.

"_Tadaima_", Kagome called out once she and Souta entered the house. As they slipped off their shoes to set them aside, their mother entered the hallway.

"Welcome home. How was your day?" Hanae greeted them.

"Sorry, okaa-san. Can't talk right now. I've got a ton of homework to do", Souta exclaimed as he ran past Hanae and up the stairs to his bedroom.

"I need to get started on my homework as well", Kagome said as she walked past her mother.

"Well, before you do, your ojii-san wanted to talk to both of you. But, Souta will need every second he can get to finish his homework, so we'll leave him be for now. You can go talk to him though."

"Where is ojii-san?" Kagome asked.

"He's in the dojo. I believe he has a visitor, so I would appreciate it if you changed out of those ridiculous clothes", Hanae requested, noting her disapproval in Kagome's choice of clothing, "What happened to that pretty dress with the floral print I bought for you?"

"Oh, that? It was . . . too small", Kagome fibbed, hoping her mother would buy the lame excuse for not wearing that hideous dress.

"Too small?" Hanae incredulously confirmed.

"Yeah. I . . . must have put on a few kilograms over the summer. I'll take all the new clothes back and exchange them for something else. But, anyway, I'm gonna put my bag in my room and head out to the dojo. See you at dinner." Kagome then sprinted up the stairs, leaving her mother to stare after her in bemusement.

Once she dropped her bag off in her room, Kagome had wasted no time in descending the stairs and exiting the house. After crossing the courtyard, she stepped onto the front patio of the dojo and approached the doors. Before she could open the door herself, one of the double doors slid open and Kagome was greeted by her grandfather.

"Welcome home, Kagome. Come in." Katsuo greeted his granddaughter as he ushered her inside the dojo.

The inside of the Higurashi dojo was kept in the traditional style. The floor was wood paneled and had been slightly weathered down over the years, yet still kept in its best possible shape. The wall along the back consisted of _shoji_ which were opened to view the surrounding garden. The shomen, or designated front of the dojo, held the _kamidana_ and the _dojo kun_ that adorned the wall. A couple of taiko drums were placed on one end of the shomen and a set of _yoroi_ was displayed on the other end.

"How was school today?" Katsuo asked.

"It was okay."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Now, let me introduce to you my old friend. I think you might remember him from a long time ago", Katsuo explained as he turned her attention to the man standing in the center of the dojo.

"_Konbanwa_, Kagome. It's good to see you again", greeted the man.

Kagome did remember him. But, what first came to her mind was that he was in fact her school kendo team's sensei, Totosai. Searching through her memories, Kagome could not recall ever formally making his acquaintance. However, he seemed to know her, so they must have met before.

"Sensei, konbanwa", Kagome respectfully greeted with a bow.

"No need for formalities. I may be a sensei at your school, but I'm still an old family friend", Totosai assured Kagome amusedly.

"So, you teach one of Kagome's classes?" Katsuo inquired.

"No. In fact, I've never seen her around school until today in the school's dojo. Even though it's been almost eight years now, I could still recognize Takeshi's daughter anywhere."

Then, it hit Kagome like a ton of bricks.

_Ten years ago, Kagome was about seven years old and already a growing prodigy. One day, she and her father had just finished a bit of practice after all the other students had left. They were sitting on the back patio of the dojo taking a rest when Kagome noticed a man appear from around the corner of the dojo's wrap around porch._

"_I knew I would find you here, Takeshi", said the man._

"_Sensei, it's good to see you", Kagome's father replied as he and Kagome stood up to greet their visitor, "You remember my daughter, Kagome, don't you?"_

"_Of course I remember Kagome. The last time I was here, she was only five years old and already defeating opponents two years her senior", the man chuckled._

"_Kagome, this is Totosai. You probably don't remember him", Kagome's father explained._

"_Iie, I don't", Kagome replied._

"_Well, she was young, so I don't blame her. Now, what was it you called me hear for, Takeshi? It sounded pretty urgent, whatever it was."_

"_Aa, hai. Kagome, how about you go back to the house and change out of your kendogi? I'm sure your mother has dinner almost ready" Takeshi suggested in a solemn tone._

"_H-hai, to-chan", Kagome warily complied, unsettled by her father's uncharacteristic tenor. She picked up her shinai and bowed to Totosai. Before she opened the shoji to enter the dojo, Kagome paused and looked back to her father worriedly._

"_It's alright, bara__ kaben. I'll be there in a little bit. I promise", Takeshi assured Kagome with a comforting smile._

_Kagome reluctantly left the two grown-ups to talk in private and returned to the house where she waited for her father to show for dinner like he promised._

Now, Kagome remembered him. Totosai had been a good friend of her father as well as his kendo sensei. He would occasionally come to visit and teach at the Higurashi dojo every once in a while.

"I saw you sitting on the sideline's during the try-outs. Were you by any chance planning on joining the girls' kendo team?" Totosai asked.

"Iie. I was only there because Souta was trying out for the team", Kagome answered.

"Aa, I remember seeing him, as well. He is quite talented even if he is nowhere near your level, Kagome", Totosai complimented.

"A-arigato. So, does that mean Souta made the team?" Kagome prodded.

"Of course. After watching him wipe the floor with my second year students, how could I not put him on the team?"

"Where is your brother? I thought I had asked for both of you to meet me here", Katsuo asked Kagome.

"He has a lot of homework, so okaa-san said to leave him in his room. I'm sure he'll be excited to hear that he made the kendo team, but I think it would be better for him to find out tomorrow when you post the list of members to the bulletin boards at school."

"I agree", Totosai complied with a nod, "Now, there is a reason behind my visit today that I wish to discuss with you, Kagome."

"What would that be, sensei?" Kagome queried.

"This year, all the high school kendo competitions including the championships have decided to enact a new rule. It has been decided that boys and girls will be allowed to compete against each other and on the same teams."

"Well, it's about time", Katsuo laughed heartily.

"I never expected that to happen in a million years. But, what does this have to do with me, sensei?" Kagome suspiciously inquired.

"This has to do with you because I would like for you to join our school's kendo team consisting of both boys and girls. I will be announcing the merger after the members for the girls' team have been decided and I was hoping that you would like to be a part of this. If you entered, you would win the championship title for sure. And, just imagine what that would do for female kendoka to have a woman win the championship over all the competitors including the men."

"Well, what do you think, Kagome?" Katsuo asked his granddaughter.

Kagome didn't answer. She just stood there, starring at the floor. Her mind was racing, trying to sort out everything that had just been thrown at her. This was an opportunity of a lifetime for her. It was everything she had ever dreamed of doing. How could she ever refuse such an offer? But, reality came crashing down on Kagome at the thought of her mother's reaction. Kagome would never be able to convince her mother to let her do this. There wasn't even any use in trying to talk her into it.

Kagome sighed and raised her head to answer, "I am honored that you would want me on your team, but I can't accept your offer."

"Are you sure, Kagome?" Katsuo reconfirmed.

"Hai", Kagome replied softly and returned her gaze to the floor boards.

"Well, if you happen to change your mind, you have until next semester to join the team before the preliminary competitions begin. I hope you will reconsider."

"Arigato, sensei. May I be excused, ojii-san? I need to go start on my homework", Kagome requested.

"Hai. I'll see you at dinner, Kagome", Katsuo permitted.

Kagome bowed respectfully to her grandfather and Totosai before exiting the dojo. Once she had closed the door, Katsuo turned to his old friend.

"I suppose you have already guessed at Kagome's reason for turning you down, Totosai."

"Aa. It was plainly obvious. She won't dare go against her mother's wishes. Her talent has been completely wasted."

"Well, maybe Kagome will change her mind and realize that she can't let her mother control her forever."

"For her sake, I certainly hope so. But, I must be leaving, Katsuo. Give my regards to Hanae", Totosai bid before making his way to the door.

"Hai. Sayoonara, Totosai."

* * *

After leaving school, Inuyasha trudged his way home in a very pissed off mood.

"That damn Sesshomaru! I can't believe he won't even give me a ride home. He's such a prick!" Inuyasha murmured bitterly to himself as he turned into the driveway of his family's home.

Inuyasha's family wasn't rich per say, but they were what you could call upper middle class. They owned a slightly better-than-average, three-story home fashioned after the western style along with two cars. One belonged to Inuyasha's parents and one belonged to Sesshomaru.

Before entering the house, Inuyasha glanced at the carport to see both cars missing. Sesshomaru was either out on a date or studying for his college classes, and his parents were more than likely at a business dinner. This was perfectly fine with Inuyasha. He liked having the house all to himself and he hated when his parents used to drag him to their dinner parties dressed up in those stupid monkey suits. Nope, he rather looked forward to a solitary evening.

After stepping inside and kicking off his shoes, Inuyasha proceeded down the hallway, took a left into the well-kept dining room, and then a right into the kitchen. The kitchen was fairly large with an island counter in the center and had enough cooking supplies and utensils for a professional chef. On the stove, Inuyasha found a casserole dish with a note attached to the lid. The letter read:

_Dear Inuyasha, _

_I hope you aren't upset that we aren't there to hear about how your school day went. Your father was asked to a dinner at the last minute and he couldn't refuse. I made you a casserole for dinner. Enjoy!_

_Lots of Love,_

_Mom_

"Keh, what am I? A five year-old? It's like she thinks they're neglecting me when she really smothers me to death. What ever happened to having parents that actually ignored their kids?" Inuyasha ranted.

Inuyasha crumpled the note into a ball and tossed it in the trash. He then lifted the glass lid of the casserole dish to inspect his meal. What he found was a bubbling pot of toxic crud that sent Inuyasha reeling back to knock into the island counter in the middle of the kitchen.

"What is she trying to do? Kill me? You'd think after about twenty years that she would learn how to cook, but she just keeps getting worse!"

Inuyasha opened he pantry to grab a plastic garbage bag and dug out a spatula from one of the drawers. He scraped the junk into the bag and took it out to the trash can at the side of the road.

Once he had returned to the kitchen, Inuyasha pulled out a kettle, filled it with water, and set it on the stove to boil. He then pulled out his favorite meal from the pantry, Ramen. After years of secretly dumping his mother's food in the trash and resorting to the instant ramen for nourishment, Inuyasha had become fond of the flavored noodles. It was like his comfort food. He even packed it for lunch at school.

After finishing his dinner, Inuyasha climbed the stairs to his whole third floor bedroom that he kept all to himself. Each of the long four walls was plastered with posters of bands and various kendo stars and competition flyers. Clothes were piled up everywhere and stacks of DVDs and video games littered the floor in front of the decked out entertainment center complete with DVD player, game console, surround sound, and flat screen TV. On the opposite side of the room, Inuyasha had a large desk where he kept his laptop and all his school work.

Inuyasha sat down at his desk and opened his bag to start on his homework. After pulling out his textbooks to the assigned pages, he opened his notebooks to find nothing but blank pages. He had been so curious about his mystery girl that he didn't take any notes in class at all.

"Well, that sucks. Guess I'll just have to call Miroku and get the notes from him", Inuyasha decided as he pulled out his cell and speed dialed Miroku's number. After about three rings, Miroku answered:

"Hey, Inuyasha. What's up?"

"I need the notes for today. Can you send me some pictures of them?"

"Sure, which ones do you need?"

"All of them."

"Seriously? Wow, you were totally out of it today. You must be really into this girl, huh?"

"Keh. Just send me the damn pics", Inuyasha growled as his face reddened a bit.

"Alright. Hey, did you figure out who she is?"

"A little bit, I figured out that she has a younger brother named Souta Higurashi who was trying out for the kendo team today. That's why she was there. So, at least I have a last name to go with."

"Awesome. Well, I gotta get going if I'm gonna send you those pics. Ja, mata."

"Ja, mata", Inuyasha echoed before ending the call. Now all he had to do was sit back and wait for Miroku's text message with the notes.

"Higurashi, huh?" Inuyasha's mind wandered off, contemplating the possibilities for tomorrow's school day as the year's first, shrill call of the cicadas sounded in the distance.

* * *

_Awkward. This is just awkward_, Souta declared to himself as he glanced around the kitchen table. No one had said a word since they had sat down and began eating their dinner. No one had even made eye contact. It wasn't even awkward anymore. Now, it was downright scary to Souta. But, finally, the silence was broken by Mrs. Higurashi.

"So, would you two mind explaining to me why you were home so late?"

Souta and Kagome both flinched at her tone as if she already knew of the evenings events. Both were lost for what to say. If they lied, their mother would see right through them, but telling her the truth sounded much worse to them.

"I'm waiting for an answer. Where were you two?" Hanae ordered impatiently.

"We were . . . at school", Souta answered evasively.

"What were you doing at school for that long?"

"Well . . . we were . . . eeto . . ." Souta stuttered, trying to think of anything he could use as a good cover story. But, Kagome knew the jig was up. They were cornered with no way out.

"We were at the try-outs for the kendo team", Kagome supplied before taking another bite of food. The reaction on Hanae's face looked like she has just heard Kagome use every cuss word in the book.

"Just what do you think you're doing? I only allowed you to attend that school with the promise that your only focus would be on your studies."

"Souta was the one trying out for the team, not me. I was there as a favor to Souta because he wanted me to be there to support him", Kagome calmly replied.

"Is this true, Souta?" Hanae interrogated.

"Hai. Kagome was only there because I asked her to come."

"Fine, then, if that's the case. But, I don't want any more of these blatant lies from either of you. Is that understood?" Hanae fumed.

"Hai, okaa-san", the siblings responded in unison.

"May I please be excused?" Kagome requested.

Hanae nodded her approval and told Kagome to place her dishes in the sink before leaving. Once she had left, Souta asked to be excused as well, leaving Hanae and Katsuo to finish their dinner by themselves without saying a word to each other. It wasn't until a while later when Hanae had finished eating that she decided to try starting up another conversation.

"So, what was it that you needed Kagome for earlier today?" Hanae questioned Katsuo as she stood up to go wash the dishes.

"My old friend, Totosai, came for a visit today and he wanted to ask Kagome about something."

"I remember Totosai from all those years ago", Hanae recalled as she turned on the faucet, "What could he possibly want with Kagome?"

Putting down his chopsticks, Katsuo cleared his throat before explaining, "This year, the high school kendo championships have decided to let boys and girls compete against each other and on the same teams. Totosai wanted Kagome to join their newly combined team of boys and girls."

Hanae completely froze in the process of washing a plate. Katsuo waited patiently for her reaction as she just stood there. Finally, Hanae placed the scrub brush and plate in the sink and turned off the faucet. Once she turned around to face her father, Hanae's expression was a mixture of anger and frustration.

"I have had just about enough of this, otou-san. I absolutely forbade Kagome from joining that team when she entered Ryoo High, and I won't sit by and let you undermine my authority."

"Calm down, Hanae. Kagome refused his offer, so you have nothing to worry about", Katsuo bitterly appeased his daughter.

"Well, I certainly hope so", Hanae said before storming out of the kitchen.

Even though they had spoken in normal tones, Hanae and Katsuo were directly below Kagome's bedroom and she had heard every word of the brief dispute. She had just sat down at her desk to begin working on her homework when she heard her mother softened voice asking her grandfather about Totosai. Now, Kagome was sitting on her bed while her homework lay neglected on her desk.

"Why does okaa-san hate kendo so much? It doesn't make any sense", Kagome ranted to herself as she sat on her bed, brooding over all that had occurred that day, "What am I going to do? All I ever wanted was to practice kendo, but okaa-san would sooner die than let me join the kendo team. I can't take much more of this. It's like I'm living in a prison."

Kagome then looked to the picture of her father sitting on her dresser. She sighed and rested her forehead on her knees.

"Otou-san, what am I supposed to do?"

Kagome waited there hoping that some brilliant revelation would come to her that could solve everything. But after a while, she realized that she already knew it could never be that simple. Deciding that just sitting there wasn't going to do her any good, Kagome returned to her desk to finish up her homework so she could prepare herself for school the next day.

* * *

Glossary:

tadaima: this is basically the equivalent of saying "I'm home"

shoji: a sliding door, window or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood which holds together a lattice of wood

kamidana: a small Shinto shrine

dojo kun: "rules of the dojo" that outline behavior that is expected and not tolerated

yoroi: samurai armor

konbanwa: a greeting used during the late evening equivalent to "good evening"

* * *

Reviews are very much appreciated. =3


	5. Ohayoo

Minasan, konnichiwa! x3 It's a little late for some, but thank you all for the wonderful reviews and encouragement. Man, I can't believe it's been five months since my last chapter. That's almost half a year! I had actually expected to start updating right after I graduated high school this past May, but lots of things still kept popping up. Good thing is that, even though I didn't have enough free time to sit down and finish this chapter during that last semester of school, I still worked on it little by little, so I had everything in my rough draft typed up. After that, I knew that whenever I started working on it again all I had to do was review it and maybe add a few things here and there for more detail. But, that didn't turn out as I had planned. ^^' I ended up extending scenes, adding a lot more information, and even adding more scenes to the point where this chapter ended up being at least twice as long as my previous chapter. I guess this extra-long chapter just makes up for the five month hiatus. Alright, I have this idea to run by you guys, but I won't keep you from the story any longer, so I'll put it at the end of the chapter. Also, I'll have a couple of replies to those who had questions at the end, too. Hope you enjoy it. :3

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Ohayoo

The second day of school began just like the first. After Kagome dragged Souta out of bed and made their breakfast and lunches, they trekked their way to school. Once she and Souta arrived at the school, a slight drizzle of rain had begun which quickly turned into a down pour mere seconds later.

Now, Kagome was sitting at her, now permanent, desk just staring out the window. Normally, she would have been drawing her latest idea in her sketchbook, but after everything that happened the previous night, Kagome wasn't in the best mood for drawing. She knew if she tried to draw anything that it would turn into an extremely sad piece that would only serve to remind her of how depressed she felt.

As Kagome watched the rain drops pelt against the window, she heard the first of her classmates arrive and make his greeting to their sensei. The squeak of his shoes on the floor was enough to tell Kagome that the person was most likely drenched from the rain.

It wasn't normal for anyone other than Kagome to be in class that early. But, Kagome disregarded the abnormality and kept her eyes fixed on the streaks of rain flowing down the window pane until she heard the person stop right in front of her desk and rather loudly cleared his throat. Recognizing the obvious attempt at getting her attention, Kagome turned from the window to find Inuyasha Hayashi standing there soaking wet.

"Ohayoo," Inuyasha greeted with a hint of humor as he tried to keep his dripping wet bangs out of his eyes.

"O-ohayoo," Kagome repeated while trying to control an oncoming fit of laughter and hopelessly failing.

Myoga looked up from his papers, slightly annoyed at the disturbance, and eyed his pair of students.

"Alright, you two try to keep it down," Myoga called out to the back of the room.

"Sumimasen, sensei," Kagome apologized as she ceased her light laughter. Once she calmed down, Kagome looked up to meet the gaze of piercing golden eyes. Inuyasha had, during her lapse in composure, taken his seat in front of Kagome and was once again staring at her dazedly. Suddenly, Kagome's memories of the previous school day came flooding back to her.

_This is ridiculous. I've already got one pain-in-the-ass stalker and I don't need another one. I don't want to be a jerk and tell him off, but if that's what it takes then I will. I guess there's only one thing I can do._

"Why are you staring at me?" Kagome bluntly asked. This seemed to effectively wake Inuyasha from his stupor only to find his mystery girl looking really ticked off.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Did you ask me something?" Inuyasha blinked, feigning innocence to whatever was making her angry. However, Kagome wasn't buying it and rolled her eyes at him before sitting up straight and folding her arms across her chest.

"I asked you why you were staring at me."

"Oh, gomen. I didn't mean to stare," Inuyasha awkwardly apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't believe I've introduced myself. My name is Inuyasha Hayashi."

_Does he think I'm an idiot?_ Kagome raged in her mind as she gave Inuyasha an incredulous look. Now, she was really annoyed, but she kept her composure despite his stupidity.

"I know who you are," Kagome replied.

"Uh . . . you do? Wow, I guess my reputation precedes me, huh?"

_What the . . . ? Is he retarded or something?_

"So, you're new this year, right? Are you getting around the school okay on your own?" Inuyasha inquired.

_Derp._

"This school is really big, so I wouldn't be surprised if you got lost a couple of times," Inuyasha exclaimed, completely oblivious to the stunned look on Kagome's face.

_He really is an idiot! Two years in the same class and he never noticed me? I can't believe he actually thinks I'm a new kid!_

"Hey, if you want, I could help you find your way around since all our classes . . ."

"I'm not a new student," Kagome interrupted.

"Huh? Really? Well then . . . did you get switched from another class?" Inuyasha ignorantly asked.

_That's it! Now, I'm pissed!_

"Dude, we've been in the same class for the past two years," Kagome seethingly revealed.

"Are . . . you serious?" Inuyasha nervously confirmed. He couldn't believe that he had overlooked this girl for two years. He certainly would have noticed her before now, right?

"Duh! Why wouldn't I be serious?" Kagome sarcastically replied. Now, Inuyasha could see just how ticked off she was and he really couldn't blame her. But, no way would he let her know that.

"Keh. Well, how the hell am I supposed to know that we were in the same class together? As far as I know, I don't remember ever talking to you before and I don't remember ever seeing you around school, so how do you expect me to remember you?" Inuyasha ranted before leaning back against the window.

"Whatever. You still haven't answered my question. Why have you been staring at me?" Kagome frustratingly repeated her question.

Damn, Inuyasha's temper had gotten the better of him once again. He had forgotten about his plan he had set for the day, but better late than never.

Inuyasha sat up straight and looked over Kagome for a split second before he made a smile and said, "I wanted to ask you what your name is."

That was definitely not what Kagome was expecting. Now, she was the one completely thrown off guard.

"Seriously?" Kagome skeptically asked.

"Seriously. So, are you gonna tell me your name or not?" Inuyasha impatiently asked, half joking.

"Hmm. I guess you'll find out anyways, when sensei takes role. Alright, my name is Kagome Higurashi. Happy, now?" Kagome answered with an amused giggle.

"Y-yeah, I guess," Inuyasha blushed, "So, I was right. That was your younger brother at the kendo try-outs yesterday, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"And, that's why you were there, right?" he added.

"Yup."

"That's surprising. I've never seen any of the team members' siblings come to try-outs or matches or tournaments, let alone their sisters. Are you into kendo or something?"

"I guess you could say that," Kagome shrewdly replied. She suddenly felt the conversation turning in the one direction she didn't want it heading to, so she returned her gaze to the window once again.

Inuyasha, noticing her change in mood, was about to ask her what was wrong when suddenly the warning bell rang and about half the class came pouring in through the doorway including Miroku. Miroku immediately spotted Inuyasha and waved for him to come to the front of the room. Inuyasha was reluctant to leave, curious to figure out what was with Kagome's sudden mood change, but he'd rather not have Miroku coming to them and end up getting embarrassed by one of Miroku's perverted comments. So, Inuyasha left Kagome to herself and joined Miroku at his desk.

"Hey, Inuyasha! I see you got to spend some alone time with the new girl, huh?" Miroku leered.

"Shut up, perv. And . . . uh . . . she's not a new student," Inuyasha informed.

"Eh?" was Miroku's intelligent response.

"Apparently . . . she's been in the same class with us since we were first year students."

Silence . . . and . . .

"Pfft! Ha ha! Seriously? That's priceless!" Miroku busted out in laughter.

"Will you shut up already?" Inuyasha growled before punching Miroku in the head.

"Gomen. So, who is she anyway?"

"Her name is Kagome Higurashi," Inuyasha replied while taking a seat in front of Miroku.

"Kagome . . . Higurashi? I've heard that name before. Yeah, she's been the top ranked student of our class for the past two years," Miroku suddenly remembered.

"Wait, if you didn't know who she was either, then how do you know that?" Inuyasha questioned, suspicious of Miroku's information.

"I just remember seeing her name with a perfect score beside it practically every time our test results were posted. Plus, when we had elections for class president, I remember some girls mentioning that a 'Higurashi-san' should be the class president because of how smart she is, but they said she refused the nomination."

While Inuyasha processed the new information, the morning bell sounded for class to start as the last of the students filed into the classroom.

"Alright everyone. Please take your seats, so I can take role and class can start," Myoga requested.

"Well, I'll talk to you later at lunch," Inuyasha stated as he stood up and turned to leave. As he made his way to his seat, Inuyasha noticed that Kagome was still blankly staring out the window. The only difference was her facial expression. She looked even more depressed now then she did when he first came in the classroom.

_Why the hell does she look so miserable? Maybe she's upset because I didn't realize she existed for the past two years? Or, is it something else? Did I say something that ticked her off? Damn it all! Why do women have to be so confusing?_

* * *

Throughout their academic classes, Inuyasha couldn't help but glance back at Kagome a few times. However, unlike yesterday, Kagome didn't even seem to notice Inuyasha's brief glimpses at her. At first, Inuyasha thought she was just focused on the teacher, but looking closer, he realized she was sort of zoned out. Even though she was writing everything down that Myoga was teaching them, Kagome looked cut off from everything around her except for the blackboard. At least now he understood how she kept such good grades. She was practically a robot.

Once Myoga had finished with the lessons for the day, there were a few minutes of class remaining for the students to relax before they had to leave for their electives. As the bell rang, signaling the wave of students to flow into the hallway, Inuyasha grabbed his bag and headed for the door. He almost made it out of the classroom, but as he took a last quick glance over his shoulder, he slowed down to a stop. Inuyasha had looked back to see Kagome still sitting there watching the rain, looking like she was off in her own little world.

_This sucks. Why couldn't I have just gone on with my boring life? Why did Totosai-sensei and ojii-san have to ask me about the kendo team? I don't really care about the championships. But, dangling the chance to be a kendoka again right in front of me, it's just torture! But . . . I guess I should have known something like this would happen eventually. I know hiding from my problems doesn't solve anything, but still . . . _

"Hey . . . uh . . . Higurashi-san?"

Kagome, startled by the interruption, spun around to find Inuyasha once again standing beside her desk.

"Uh . . . sumimasen. Did you want something?" Kagome tensely inquired.

"Just thought I'd tell ya that class is over," Inuyasha chuckled, amused at how flustered she was.

"What are you . . . Ah! Everyone's gone!" Kagome exclaimed as she looked over the room of empty desks. Immediately, Kagome began grabbing her things and shoving them into her bag.

"Calm down. The bell just rang so you have plenty of time."

"Thanks for telling me and not just leaving me here looking like an idiot," Kagome quickly thanked him as she set her bag straight.

"No problem. How 'bout we walk to our Home Ec. class together? Just so you don't go stumbling into the wrong classroom," Inuyasha joked.

"Hey! I'm not a klutz. I was just zoned out for a second, that's all," Kagome fumed as she picked up her bag. Pulling herself up, Kagome looked back up to see Inuyasha standing at the door.

"Hurry up would ya?" Inuyasha called back to her.

Kagome wanted to throw a few choice words back at him, but thought it best to ignore Inuyasha's taunts and hurried after him. Once they made it out into the hallway, they were mostly by themselves except for the occasional straggler sprinting towards their next class like they didn't have another seven minutes before the late bell rang. With the lack of an audience, Inuyasha felt it safe to carry on their conversation while they walked to the Home Economics classroom.

"So, what was up with you earlier?"

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

"You were zoned out all day and you looked kinda upset," Inuyasha supplied.

"Upset? I'm not upset about anything," Kagome lied through her teeth, hoping she sounded convincing enough. She was a pretty good liar, but Inuyasha could see right through her content façade. Although, he could sense that, whatever was bothering Kagome, it was a touchy subject and figured he better change the topic of discussion.

"Well, I guess it's none of my business anyway. So, I still haven't been able to figure out how I never met you after being in the same class for two years," Inuyasha exclaimed with an apologetic tone, unable to think of anything else to talk about.

"Well, I guess I can't blame you since we've never had seats anywhere near each other and I'm not exactly the most noticeable person. Plus, we've never had the same electives up 'til now, so I guess you're off the hook."

"Uh . . . doomo. So, your brother did pretty good at the try-outs yesterday. I think he's got a good chance at making the team."

"Hai, but he'll just be one of the extras", Kagome agreed.

"Well, if he doesn't get to be in any team matches, he can still be in the individuals. Plus, even if he doesn't make the team there's still the Kendo Club", Inuyasha remarked.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that. The Kendo Team is for the team matches of five kendoka and that's why they have try-outs because they want the best players they can get, and they only need five members to compete and a handful of extra members for replacements if needed. But, the Kendo Club is for anyone interested in kendo to join and most of the members participate in the individual tournaments if they want. As far as I know, our school is the only one to ever have a set-up like this."

"How come you know so much about all this?"

"Eh? Oh, my friend Hojo has been in the Kendo Club since we were first years. Plus, he was in our middle school's kendo club," Kagome explained as they turned down the Cultural Arts hall, "You've probably seen him in the school's dojo."

"Maybe. I don't remember the name. By the way, has your brother been ranked?" Inuyasha asked.

"Hai, Souta is at _Jun-Nikyu_ right now, but he should be at _Nikyu_ by next year. What's your rank? Uh, that is … if you don't mind me asking."

"No, I don't mind", Inuyasha laughed, "I'm at _Nidan_."

Kagome could practically see the swell of pride in Inuyasha at the mention of the noteworthy rank. It was obvious to Kagome that Inuyasha had probably raced through the _Kyu ranks_ as fast as he could so that the second he was old enough and eligible for the first _Dan rank_, _Shodan_, he could start working his way to the highest Dan rank he could achieve. Of course, he had assumed after hearing Kagome state her brother's rank that she was familiar with all the Kyu and Dan ranking systems and left her with simply the title and let her decipher the notability of it herself. However, Kagome was far more educated in the ranking system than he had suspected.

The ranking system's purpose was not so much for depicting rank or superiority, but to show your dedication and fervor as well as your mastery for kendo. Yes, your achievements and performance had mostly to do with the promotions, but it wasn't like other countries' athletics where they earn trophies for the most games that they've won or world records for the most homeruns. Those were all admirable achievements, but this was a more spiritual reflection on kendoka, who were honored to be awarded with such a prestigious rank.

Kagome understood and respected this as she had been taught by others wiser than herself, but she knew all too well that this was a concept which was very difficult for most people to understand. She too struggled with it at first. So seeing Inuyasha's overwhelming pride at his rank, Kagome felt more amused than irritated and decided to spare him the embarrassment of schooling him. Instead, she choose to humor him a little.

"That's very impressive. Well, there's our classroom", Kagome pointed out as they approached the door.

Expecting him to just go on in the classroom, Kagome followed Inuyasha, but ended up nearly crashing into him when he stopped right in front of the door. Before Kagome could ask what was wrong, Inuyasha turned around to face her and asked, "Hey, you wanna sit together, again? I'm not the best when it comes to cooking, so I could probably use some help from someone who knows what they're doing."

"Uh … sure. I guess I can help you out."

"Doomo", Inuyasha thanked her before turning back around to enter the classroom.

* * *

Kagome and Inuyasha's Home Economics class went by pretty slow and ended up not cooking anything as their sensei spent the entire time explaining the recipe they would be making the next day. It was a simple cookie recipe, but apparently there had been some bad experiences that their sensei did not want to repeat. So, they spent the period going over all procedures and safety precautions.

Their art class after that was also uneventful. All their sensei assigned for them was a sketchbook drawing that represented something about themselves that they could present to the class the next day. It was their sensei's way of getting to know everyone and giving her and the students a free day. Today, the easels were placed against the back wall and replaced with just enough tables for the small amount of students to sit at in pairs, doodling away on their assignment.

"So, have you taken this class before?" Inuyasha asked Kagome after they each created their sketchbook assignment.

"Yep. I've taken it every year so this is my third time."

"What do we do in this class?"

"Basically, we get these random sketchbook assignments every once and a while, but the rest of the time you can do whatever you want as long as you don't get rowdy and cause trouble."

"Seriously? That's all you do?"

"Well, that and the final project at the end of the year. But, you could turn in a stick figure drawing and still get an 'A' on it."

"So, it's a slacker's class?"

"Well, there are twelve kids in this class, so about eight of them are slackers and four of them are actually here to make art. You can tell cuz they've started working on their own projects."

"Heh, I'm starting to like art class. So, based on those drawings I saw yesterday, I'm guessing you're one of the four kids that takes this class cuz you actually like art, right?" Inuyasha confirmed.

"Yeah, but I don't do anything really big like sculptures or canvas paintings that the others make. I just draw and maybe do a charcoal piece once in a while", Kagome modestly admitted as she focused on her drawing.

"But, your drawings are really amazing. You've definitely got a talent for it."

"D … doomo", Kagome mumbled as her checks turned pink and she continued to stare down at her sketchbook in front of her. Inuyasha noticed her embarrassment and chuckled to himself before striking up another conversation.

Once the bell rang for the end of school, Kagome and Inuyasha grabbed their things and stood to leave.

"So, where are you headed, now?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm going to the front gate to wait on Souta before we head home. He's probably already run off to the dojo to see if he made the team. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Haya …"

"Inuyasha", he interrupted, "You can call me Inuyasha. 'Hayashi-san' just sounds like you're talking to my dad."

For a moment, Kagome just stared at Inuyasha nonplussed and taken aback a little at his forwardness. But then, she smiled and said, "Hai, and you can call me Kagome if you'd like … Inuyasha."

* * *

For the second day in a row, a horde of first year boys made their way to the dojo after their last class of the day, eager to see if their performance the previous day was enough to win them a spot on the exclusive kendo team. Behind the crowd, Inuyasha followed at a leisurely pace as he thought over his past few hours of bliss.

The day had turned out better than he expected. Of course, Inuyasha had it planned out in his mind to where he'd be the kind classmate that befriended the new girl who would immediately be charmed by his attentions. Things, however, started very rough, making him look like a complete idiot. Yet, Inuyasha somehow made a comeback and now had a good acquaintanceship to start with.

Feeling a shadow cross over him, Inuyasha turned his view skyward to see multiple thunderheads blocking out the sun. Thunderstorms were coming in and that meant more rain and lots of it. And, all that rain to any experienced kendoka like Inuyasha meant …

_Stink. Heh heh … the kendo equipment is gonna reek for days. Well, good thing we've got the noobs to clean 'em up for us._

On that positive thought, Inuyasha crossed the remaining distance of the school yard to enter the dojo. Right inside the door, Inuyasha found Miroku patiently waiting for his tardy friend.

"Hey, Inuyasha. I was waiting for you, you know?"

"Heh, right. Come on, let's get going", Inuyasha commanded, walking past Miroku who followed right behind him. Glancing across the dojo, the two saw the first years taking turns, although boisterously, to look for their names among the short list of thirteen. Inuyasha, Miroku, and the other upper classmen had no reason to follow their example as they were secure in their predetermined positions. Any of the current second and third years in the school that were interested in the kendo team had tried out in their freshman year and didn't make the team. Afterwards, they committed to other clubs or teams, so there were no second or third years to challenge their spots on the team. Also, because of this, there was a little surprise waiting for this particular group of first years.

At the end of the previous school year, the third years that made up most of the five main kendoka graduated and the few second years besides Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kouga all resigned due to college entrance exams, feeling they wouldn't be able to study and compete at the same time. Also, the first years that had made the team for some reason felt the kendo team was too much pressure, so they all quit except for Shippou. So when the time came for the current members to fill the vacated positions, Inuyasha - having been the one second year on the competing team with the previous third years - was selected to be the captain. Miroku and Kouga filled the second and third spot, and Shippou took the fourth. That meant that there was one last position to be filled; one last spot for one lucky first year.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the first years were too concerned with the eight reserve positions to notice who had earned such a prize. As this went on, Miroku decided to give the conversation he had tried to start earlier another go.

"So, what took you, Inuyasha?" Miroku interrogated.

"Keh. I just wasn't in any hurry to get here."

"That's no way for the captain of the kendo team to act. You should be more enthusiastic", Miroku kidded.

"Shuddup! I'd just rather not be here explaining everything to the noobs", Inuyasha complained.

"I'll bet! You'd just rather be off somewhere with that Higurashi-san, right?"

"Knock it off, would ya?"

Realizing that Inuyasha had made no attempt to deny his suggestion, Miroku just sniggered at his friend's embarrassment and flustered state. He never got tired of teasing Inuyasha; he just took the bait too easily. But, Miroku was not without some compassion, "So, how did things turn out? She still mad at you for not noticing her 'til now?"

"No. Actually, I think I caught a lucky break. Kagome brushed it off and we talked during the rest of our classes."

There he went again failing right into another trap Miroku didn't even have to set.

"Oh, so it's Kagome now, ne? When did the two of you get so familiar?"

"It's nothing like that. I just … told her to call me Inuyasha. She said ok and that I could call her Kagome if I wanted."

"Well, there's the difference. You told her to use your first name, but she said you could use her first name if you wanted. And, it's obvious you really wanted to since your even using it when talking to other people", Miroku smirked.

"W-whatever!"

Suddenly, a voice behind the two of them said, "Ah, good. You boys finally made it."

Both Inuyasha and Miroku turned to find Totosai approaching them with Shippou and Kouga right behind him.

"Hai, sensei. Konnichiwa", Miroku greeted, "We're ready when you are."

"Well then, let's get to it", Totosai ordered and signaled for Miroku and Inuyasha to follow him with Shippou and Kouga.

Across the dojo, Souta had been trying to get through to see the team members list, but the crowd was too thick to weave through. Finally, Souta gave up and decided to wait it out until most of the others had left. However, Totosai had a different plan. Without the first years even noticing, Totosai and the others approached the frenzied mob.

"First years!" Totosai shouted, "Please give me your attention and I will announce the team members for this year."

The group quickly quieted down and turned around to give their full attention. Then, Totosai pulled his own copy of the list out from the fold of his kendogi and read, "First off, our team captain this year is third year Inuyasha Hayashi. Along with him, our competing team will consist of third years Miroku Fukui and Kouga Oshiro, second year Shippou Yoshida, and first year Souta Higurashi."

"EH?" was the first years' immediate response to hearing who the last member was. Souta was, needless to say, astonished and bewildered at the news, not even aware of the commotion going on around him until he felt a few of his fellow classmates each giving him a congratulatory whack on his shoulders.

Hearing the news himself for the first time, Inuyasha was surprised at the ironic coincidence. But then remembering the quick glimpses he saw of kid's matches yesterday, he knew he shouldn't really be surprised at all.

Totosai had let the first years chat away and get the excitement out of their systems before once again obtaining their undivided attention to finish listing off the eight reserve members. The names of the other first years were unfamiliar to Souta since most of them weren't from the same middle school as him. But the last name Totosai read, he immediately recognized.

"… and Kohaku Akiyama. Now, all those whose names were called please stay behind and the rest may be dismissed."

_What? Kohaku? I didn't know he was trying out for the team. Where is he? _

Souta instantly began looking about the room, searching for his overlooked friend. But, the crowd of sulking boys dragging their feet to the exit made it practically impossible to spot anyone amongst them. Finally, Souta spotted the back of the boy's head and approached him with an amused smirked adorning his face.

"Yo, Kohaku!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Kohaku turned around to greet Souta as he crossed the distance between them. Kohaku Akiyama had been friends with Souta ever since elementary school after his older sister Sango became friends with Kagome and the girls introduced them to each other. Kohaku had shoulder-length, brown hair which he kept pulled up into a scraggly ponytail and his eyes where the same dark brown as his sister's.

"Hey, Souta. Congratulations on getting that spot."

"Doomo, but why didn't you tell me you were trying out for the team? I didn't even see you there yesterday."

"Well, I saw you, but you didn't get there 'til the last second and you left in such a hurry that I never got the chance to talk to you. I would have called last night to give you grief about it, but sensei gave us loads of homework."

"Yeah, same here."

As the two friends started to compare their class schedules, their conversation was cut short by Totosai who once again had information for them. The old man gave a quick message about being glad to spend another year coaching the team and gave his best wishes and hopes for them that year. After Totosai was finished, Inuyasha and Miroku stepped up with some papers in hand.

"I'm Inuyasha Hayashi, the team captain. Starting this Thursday, we'll meet here right after school on every day except for Wednesdays and Saturdays. This here is the list of upcoming practice matches and tournaments. Make sure you don't lose yours cuz it's the only one you're getting", Inuyasha explained before he and Miroku began passing out the papers to everyone. Once Inuyasha reached Souta and Kohaku, he handed them the last ones and then addressed Souta.

"Hey, congrats on making the team. Our practices can get pretty tough. I hope you're ready for it."

"Hai, Inuyasha-senpai. I'll do my best."

Inuyasha responded with a quick, pleased nod and turned to walk off with Miroku. Now that the event lists were given out, Totosai dismissed everyone and reminded them of their first meeting the day after next. As everyone made for the doors, Souta and Kohaku followed at the back of the crowd and as they near the door they heard Totosai call after Souta.

"Souta, would you mind staying a moment", Totosai asked as he walked up to the two boys.

"Uh, sure", Souta responded and then turned to Kohaku; "Guess I'll see you tomorrow, ja mata."

"Sure, ja mata", Kohaku repeated before walking out.

"Ah, peace and quiet. Well, Souta, I should congratulate you. From the skill you showed me yesterday, I had no worries in choosing you for the position."

"Doomo, sensei", Souta thanked him unsure of what else to say.

"I'm not sure if you remember, but I was an old friend of your otou-san's. Do you remember ever meeting me before?" Totosai probed.

"Sumimasen, I can't remember meeting you, but I have heard of you quite a few times, like how you were otou-san's sensei."

"Heh, that is true. Your otou-san was a talented kendoka and I see some of that talent in you. But anyways, how have you and your family been? Well I hope?"

"Hai, we've been doing just fine."

"That's good to hear. Now, I have another reason for wanting to speak with you besides catching up."

"What's that, sensei?" Souta asked.

"I'd like for you to pass something along", Totosai explained as he fumbled with the fold of his kendogi. After a couple of seconds, Totosai pulled out his hand and with it a letter. As Souta looked closer at the writing on the outside of it, he recognized his sister's name was whom the letter was addressed to.

"If you would please deliver this to Kagome, I would much appreciate it."

"Hai, sensei", Souta agreed and received the letter with both hands slightly bowing; "I'll pass this on to her and thank you again for the opportunity to be a part of the team. But, I really should be going now."

"Hai, I need to get prepared myself. The girls' try-outs should start soon if any first years decide to show. The few members they had last year were all upper classmen, so they either graduated or resigned leaving the team with no members. Who wants to join a competitive team that would only have novices for members?" Totosai chuckled.

"That does sound like a problem. Well, sayoonara, Totosai-sensei", Souta announced his leaving as he bowed again. Totosai then watched Souta quickly exit the dojo.

* * *

Kagome stood out at the front of the school glancing round the school riddled with puddles from the downpour earlier that morning, waiting on Souta to show up. He was taking longer than she had originally thought so she propped herself against the gate to rest for a second and thought over the strange school day she just had.

Inuyasha certainly was a peculiar one. Most of the guys in school wouldn't dare talk to her as much as he did, asking questions of her that most would think too personal, nor would they ever ask her to call them by their first name so soon after introducing themselves. Of course, it didn't help that she had built a reputation for having a cool, laid-back attitude and being standoffish towards pretty much everybody without even meaning to. Kagome knew this was the biggest cause of her problem with not being "best buds" with her classmates, but she just wasn't very social. And knowing the kids in her class, she wouldn't have anything in common with them anyway. The girls would realize she hates all those girly, designer clothes, gossip magazines, and popular guys they swoon for, and the guys would realize she's just a tomboy with a geek-ish side. After that, she wouldn't have to be standoffish; they'd all ignore her like she's the class weirdo.

But after talking with him a little today, Kagome somehow felt that Inuyasha might not be like the others. He might not care if she's not all girly or if she had a geeky side. He might not care that she reads manga religiously. It might not bother him that her life is an emotional rollercoaster. Even though he's into kendo, he might not freak if he knew who her dad was.

_Maybe … he just likes me? Oh, but … I guess it's too soon to be worried about all that._

Kagome sighed, convincing herself that she was just over-complicating the situation. Wondering how long she had been waiting, Kagome pulled out her cell to check the time. The screen read 4:09 pm.

_Where is he? It shouldn't be taking him this long._

Just as Kagome was about to put her phone away, it vibrated and a new text popped up. Kagome opened it to see it was from Souta.

**[Souta: gomen, onee-san. r u still waiting? ^^']**

This was typical Souta: running late and texting to apologize. Kagome laughed and began typing in her reply.

**[Kagome: lol yeah i'm still here. what's taking u? :3]**

Shortly after, Kagome got a reply.

**[Souta: tell u in a sec almost there]**

About that time, Souta came sprinting around the corner of the school, completely out of breath with his cell phone clutched in his hand. As soon as he reached the gate, Souta immediately stopped to catch his breath propping himself up with his hands resting on his knees. Kagome couldn't help but laugh at her brother's exhausted state.

"Souta, you look ridiculous! So, what kept you for so long?"

After a few more deep breaths, Souta straightened up to give Kagome her answer. "Sorry for making you wait, Kagome. But, I did it! I made the team! But, I'm not just a reserve. I'm actually on the real team! I'll be competing and everything!"

"Souta, that's amazing! Congratulations! I knew you would make the team, but why didn't you come running to tell me the news 'til now?" Kagome asked, laughing at her brother's giddiness.

"Well, after they announced the team members for this year, Totosai-sensei and the captain, Hayashi-senpai, asked the team members to stay a few minutes. Plus, Kohaku made the reserves. I didn't even know he was trying out. Anyway, Sensei congratulated us and said he hoped to have a good year with everyone, and then Hayashi-senpai gave everyone copies of the schedule for up-coming matches. Hayashi-senpai also told us what days we'd be practicing after school every week, but it's basically every day except for Wednesday and Saturday. I've got a lot of work ahead of me", Souta chuckled nervously.

"Heh, yeah. But, it seemed like you were gone longer than all that would've taken", Kagome probed.

"Yeah … well … about that … eeto …" Souta trailed off apprehensively fidgeting under Kagome's bewildered stare, "Once all the announcements and stuff were done, I was going to leave with everyone else, but Totosai-sensei kind of quietly asked me to stay behind. Once everyone was gone, he congratulated me for earning my spot on the team. Then, he asked if I remembered him from when we were little, how me, you, and okaa-san are doing, and all that stuff. But then, sensei told me he actually wanted to speak to me so I could pass this along to you."

Souta unzipped one of his backpack's pockets and pulled out a letter. Accepting it from Souta, Kagome just stared at the writing addressing the letter to her, not even making a move to open and read it. Kagome looked back to Souta and asked, "Did he say what this was about?"

"No, he just wanted me to pass it along."

Bemused and suspicious, Kagome returned to staring at the letter, still not willing to open and read its contents.

_What in the world does Totosai-sensei want now? I already gave him my answer. There's no negotiating here. I can't practice kendo again no matter how much I might want to. This is starting to get complicated._

* * *

**Glossary**

Jun-Nikyu: pre-2nd Kyu

Nikyu: 2nd Kyu

Shodan: 1st Dan

Nidan: 2nd Dan

Kyu ranking system – .org/wiki/Ky%C5%AB#List_of_Ky._ranks

Dan ranking system – .org/wiki/Dan_rank#Ranks_in_Japanese

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**Review Replies**

**CaseClosed621**: Not too sure about a big confrontation, but we'll see.

**glon morski**: Yeah, I was a little concerned with her personality at first, too. I had different ideas as for what specifically was going to be Kagome's main obstacle for the story, but out of all of them I felt drawn to this one even though it's OOC as far as Hanae is concerned. And, we'll see how your predictions turn out. *heh heh*

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Hey, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now, I have a suggestion for you guys. Unlike YouTube and other websites, Fanfiction's review system is kinda limited. There's no way for me to easily reply directly to your reviews - besides putting my replies in the next chapter like most people do – so that others can comment on your reviews or my replies. So, I thought of an idea where I could create a group for this fanfic on Facebook. Also, I could post updates on chapters, make notes for stuff like the glossary and a better explanation of the kendo ranks than Wikipedia has to offer, and I could even start making chapter art that I could put in the photos. I really like this idea myself cuz it's definitely one of my better ones, but this all really depends on you guys. If there's enough response to this story, then I'll go ahead and make the group on Facebook. If not, then the review system Fanfiction has will be fine. One thing though, if I do make the group, there shall be no flames or meanie posts between each other. Stuff like that is just depressing to me and I've fortunately never had to experience that cuz you guys are awesome, but I know there are trolls out there. I think you can just remove people like that from the group, but I'm not sure. Anyway, just let me know what you think. You can just use the review thingy or you could go to my profile and send me a message from there.

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Please tell me what you think of my new chapter and thank you for reading. Hai, minasan sayoonara! :3


	6. Taking a Chance

Hey guys. Man, can't believe it's been three months. Summer's been long over, all the kiddies are back in school, and now it's freezing cold. Thank you for all the reviews and your input for my Facebook idea. After thinking on it more, I decided that I was going to make the Facebook group. I know that several of you expressed concerns about it because you don't have Facebook accounts of your own and I just want to assure you that I don't have any intention of making the group my only form of receiving reviews from you guys. I'm still going to check reviews and reply to them here like I always have, and I encourage everyone to keep using the reviews, too. The group is just there for anyone who wishes to use it. The link to the All if Fair in Love and Kendo - FanFic group is in my profile. There isn't a whole lot to look at right now except for info stuff, but I'm currently working on some drawings that I should be posting soon. ^^' Hope you enjoy this chapter.

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**Chapter 5**

Taking a Chance

After Souta had given her Totosai's letter, Kagome withheld from opening it right there and instead buried it in her school bag before the two of them headed home. They were already late leaving school as it was; Kagome didn't need to waste any more time reading the letter. She also felt it would be wise to keep it out of her mother's sight in case she was in prying mood today. It wasn't until after Kagome had finished her homework, eaten dinner, and was safely closed up in her room that she finally fished the letter out of her bag. Now, Kagome sat at her desk re-reading Totosai's message over and over.

_Dear Kagome,_

_After presenting you with the opportunity of joining the combined kendo team and you refused the offer, I realized that it was selfish of me to have asked you. I should have first considered your feelings and your desire to follow Hanae's wishes before suggesting such a thing to you. I understand your decision was difficult and I admire the level of maturity with which you handled it. Truthfully, I was too distracted by the memories of when you and Takeshi trained together. You were such a talented kendoka: truly a gift inherited from your otou-san. _

_I know I owe you nothing but apologies, but I wish to ask a favor of you. I would really appreciate it if you would come have a practice match with me. It would be an honor to fight against you. This Thursday at the beginning of the Kendo Team's first practice, the boys will be out running laps and doing warm-ups long enough for us to have a match. I will have a set of kendogi and bogu for you, as well as a shinai. Please consider my request._

_-Totosai_

After reading the letter for about the eighth time, Kagome had practically memorized it, yet she continued to analyze Totosai's request as if she could somehow pull an underline message or revelation that could help sort out her very confused mind. Kagome had expected the letter to be a ploy from Totosai to convince her to join the coed kendo team, but it turned out to be a sincere apology with a seemingly, odd request. Kagome wasn't sure what to make of it all. She was, however, certain that such a genuine apology from Totosai wasn't necessary at all. In fact, it now made Kagome feel guilty, like she ought to be the one apologizing. Maybe that was Totosai's intention? To guilt her into accepting the match?

_No, Totosai-sensei wouldn't try something as underhanded as that. Especially since he … he …_

He had mentioned her father. Every time she had read over Totosai's letter, she was always drawn back to that one part:

'_Truthfully, I was too distracted by the memories of when you and Takeshi trained together. You were such a talented kendoka: truly a gift inherited from your otou-san.' _

Just reading that was enough to stir Kagome's own memories: memories of her and her father training, having matches, and laughing together. This was all starting to bring back those memories a lot more lately. They were good memories, but they were also painful and always led to certain memories that were even more painful.

But even if her heart ached at the remembrance, Kagome still loved to think back to how she felt when she was a kendoka. Although she had been young at the time, Kagome had a passion for kendo and enjoyed every second. Whether it was training until she dropped or defeating a skilled opponent, she loved it, especially when training with her father. Even when her mother started keeping Kagome's days busy with anything she could think of to make it impossible for her to openly practice kendo, Kagome still continued to train in secret whenever she could. She never had many chances to sneak up to her secret training ground to begin with, but then she got into middle school and had even less free time. As the years went by, Kagome began practicing less and less until eventually she was in high school and hardly ever picked up her shinai.

_Back then, when I trained every day with otou-san, that was the happiest I had ever felt. If I could only just feel like that again … just one more time …_

It was that last thought that finally made Kagome decide: she would accept Totosai's challenge. Kagome knew that she was taking a huge risk and that she could be making a terrible mistake, but she also knew that she had to face this match. Even if this was the last match she'd ever have, this was what she had to do.

* * *

Surprisingly, Wednesday's school day went by rather fast, and that afternoon Kagome had rushed home dragging Souta with her and completed her homework in record time so she could sneak out to get in as much training as possible before she would face Totosai the next day. Kagome was completely aware of the fact that Totosai was ranked as a Kyudan, second to the highest rank, and it was mind-boggling to her that such a highly ranked kendoka like him would even be this serious about wanting a match with her.

_Totosai keeps insisting that I'm such a talented kendoka, like I'm some kind of genius. I guess I might be more experienced for my age group, but it's not like I'm a Nidan like Inuyasha is. I wonder if Totosai is being serious or just trying to butter me up with compliments. If it's the first, then I'd seriously be questioning his sanity. But if it's the latter, then I'd really rather not have anything to do with him after this match. Huh, whatever._

Even though Kagome had been showered with praise by many people over her talents when she was young, she had never taken their compliments very seriously, believing they were just patronizing her as most adults do to little kids. It also didn't help that Kagome, although very insightful when concerning others, was completely dense when it concerned her own abilities – almost to the point of being naïve. So naturally, she had concluded that her skills in kendo weren't as special as the people around her kept on saying they were, even though they were right.

Before Kagome knew it, it was Thursday and she was sitting in her last class of the day taking quick furtive glances at the clock every few minutes while idly chatting with Inuyasha. The two of them started getting along rather well and were quickly getting used to spending the entire school day together, as if they had any choice.

"So, are you gonna hang out in the dojo for your brother's first practice?" Inuyasha asked Kagome as she started putting together her things close to the end of art class.

"No, I don't want to be a distraction to the other members and Souta would probably be embarrassed to have his onee-san babysitting him."

"I didn't think he would think of it like that. You two seemed closer than that to me."

"We are and Souta wouldn't necessarily be the one to think of it that way, but rather his other teammates", Kagome explained.

"Keh. If that's all, then I'll just set the others straight if they try to tease him about it. Just come to the practice today and leave the rest to me", Inuyasha confidently reassured her.

"Somehow, I think that would only make things worse", Kagome laughed, "Besides all that, I have homework and other things to do at home, so I'm gonna head home when the bell rings." That was a total lie, but what else was she supposed to tell him?

_No, I'm just gonna stick around to have a match with Totosai-sensei cuz he was my otou-san's old sensei and I'm actually really into kendo, and by the way my otou-san was the most famous kendoka in the last century? Yeah … no. That would definitely not go over so smoothly._

"That makes sense, but you know–", Inuyasha began to say before he was cut off by the bell, "Well, I'd better get to the dojo. Guess I'll see ya' later then."

"Yeah, see ya' later", Kagome waved to Inuyasha as he left with their classmates and teacher.

After waiting for most of the students to either get to their own after school activities or leave campus, Kagome surreptitiously made her way to the back of the school. She now stood watch at the back door, waiting for when the kendo team would head out to the track field. As she stared intensely at the doors to the dojo, Kagome went over the plan in her head again.

_Alright the second they get out of earshot, I'll head straight for the dojo, have a real quick match with Totosai, and leave before the team gets back. I just hope okaa-san will buy my I-had-to-go-back-to-school-because-I-left-my-textbook excuse._

Finally, the Kendo Team members exited the dojo dressed in their kendogi and tennis shoes. Amongst the group of boys, Kagome noticed her brother and Kohaku chatting with each other. Souta had asked her that morning what the letter from Totosai was all about, but Kagome played it off as nothing important. She felt kind of guilty for lying to him after he'd been so supportive, but he would most certainly want to assist her and she didn't want to implicate him in her decision. No reason for him to have to be in danger of getting in trouble with their mother, too.

The last few to exit the dojo were Inuyasha and Miroku. Once Kagome felt they had crossed a far enough distance, she stealthily crossed the school yard to the dojo. Before she opened the dojo's door, Kagome peeked around the building confirming that none of the kendo team had noticed her. Once she was sure her presence had not been noticed, Kagome entered the dojo. Inside, Kagome found – to her relief – Totosai waiting for her in the empty dojo.

"Ah, _yookoso_. I'm glad you decided to come, Kagome", Totosai welcomed her.

"Doomo. Thank you for inviting me, sensei", Kagome said as she bowed respectfully. "So, should we go ahead and get started?"

"Of course, the spare kendogi for you is in the girl's changing room and your bogu and shinai are here", Totosai gestured to the protective gear off to the side of the room, "However, I need to run a quick errand before we start our match."

"Huh? Uh … sensei, I'm sorry, but couldn't your errand wait until we've had our match. I really need to get home as soon as possible", Kagome said half panicking.

"Don't worry. This shouldn't take me long at all. You go ahead and change and I'll be back by the time you're ready", Totosai reassured her. He then exited the dojo leaving Kagome by herself.

Kagome found the set of kendogi waiting for her on one of the locker room benches. From the lack of sweat stains and the surplus of straight seams and clean royal blue color of the kendo uniform, Kagome could tell that the clothes were likely fresh from the new order of kendogi for the teams this year. It was fortunate that there was an extra in her size, although the top was one of the boy's blue ones instead of the white ones that the girl's wore.

After changing clothes, Kagome left the girl's locker room to find that Totosai had not returned. Kagome was suddenly getting the sinking feeling that this was starting to go very wrong. Totosai had said he would be back by the time she had finished changing, but the errand - whatever it was - was obviously taking longer than he had said it would.

_What should I do? I don't have time to wait for whenever Totosai decides to come back. But, I accepted the challenge, so I can't just leave. Mou, I guess I'll wait for just a little while … but if the old man doesn't show up soon, I'm heading home. He knows I'm in a hurry, so it'll be on him if I do end up leaving._

Just so that she would be ready to go as soon as Totosai walked in, Kagome went ahead and suited up in the bogu that was left for her. She fixed the _tare_ around her waist, laced up the _do_, and then gathered the rest of the equipment, setting them in front of her as she seated herself at one end of the match area with her eyes fixed on the entrance.

After barely ten minutes of staring down the door, Kagome started to get antsy. It seemed to Kagome a waste of time to just sit there waiting for Totosai to walk through the door, so – to relieve her tension and to pass the time – she decided she'd warm up with a little practice. Kagome carefully pinned up her long, black hair to fit as close to her head as possible and wrapped the _tenugui_ around the top of her head before securing the _men_ and slipping on the _kote_. Usually before a match, the two participants would have their men, kote, and tenugui left off until after they paid their respects by bowing to each other. Having been schooled in the etiquette of kendo, Kagome understood that greeting her opponent fully suited any other time would most likely be taken as being disrespectful. But, Totosai wasn't the type to worry about formalities between old family friends, so she didn't see any harm in it. Standing up, Kagome spotted the little training area set up for the beginner students at the far end of the dojo and decided to practice over there.

When practicing the night before, it hadn't taken Kagome five minutes to get the feel for it all again. Even though she had fallen out of her routine, secret training some time ago, it seemed that Kagome hadn't lost a bit of her focus, strength, or raw talent. Her swing was just as strong, swift, and precise and she still remembered all the elaborate foot-work. Even now as Kagome started off with some basic practice swings, she wielded the shinai with such strength and purpose without even focusing and kept her feet perfectly aligned on the line of tape used by the beginners to keep their foot-work straight.

Now that she finally had a shinai in her hands, Kagome once again could feel the excitement she used to have every time she was about to face an opponent. It felt amazing to her to be in a dojo again; to be training again; to once again pull back her shinai over her head and then swing it back down with a victorious shout. Mesmerized by the nostalgia of it, Kagome didn't even notice the dojo's doors sliding open.

"Hey, kid!" a yell shocked her back down from cloud nine. Turning back towards the entrance, Kagome's stomach plummeted at the sight of Inuyasha standing there glaring at her with Miroku right behind him.

_Oh, shit._

* * *

**Glossary**

**Kyudan**: 9th Dan

**Yookoso**: "Welcome."

**Tare**: leg and hip protector

**Do**: torso protector (pronounced like "dough")

**Tenugui**: cotton towel used as a head covering under the men in Kendo

**Men**: combined face mask and shoulders protector; head guard

**Kote**: hand and forearm protectors

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Read and review, please? :3


	7. A Proposal

Hey guys. Well, this is it. This is the moment everyone has been waiting for. And oddly enough, today happens to be the one year anniversary for All is Fair in Love and Kendo! Whoo-hooo! xD So, enjoy and don't forget to review! x3

Edit: Crud, I almost forgot. For those who have never seen a kendo fight or don't really know much about kendo, I suggest watching this short video (youtube .com/watch?v=ONq_3wD6VsE) to get the basics before you read this. If you want to learn more about kendo, I suggest watching the anime Bamboo Blade - awesome x3.

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**Chapter 6**

A Proposal

"Hey, kid!" a yell shocked her back down from cloud nine. Turning back towards the entrance, Kagome's stomach plummeted at the sight of Inuyasha standing there glaring at her with Miroku right behind him.

_Oh, shit._

"There's no practice for the Kendo Club today, pal. It's Kendo Team members only, so get lost", Inuyasha exclaimed to the disguised Kagome. It seemed that he had mistaken her for one of the boys in the Kendo Club.

It was a relief to Kagome that he wasn't able to tell who or even what gender she was since she was wearing all that armor and the boys' blue kendogi, but now she had to figure out how to get out of there. She couldn't just go walking outside fully suited up especially since the bogu and kendogi weren't hers, but she couldn't go back to the girl's locker room to change since Inuyasha and Miroku would naturally be curious about why a girl was in the dojo and would certainly be waiting for her to come out. Kagome couldn't think of anything to do except stand there and hope the two would just leave.

"Are you deaf or something? I said you can't be in here", Inuyasha repeated, but Kagome continued to stand in silence.

"Keh, wise-ass, huh? Fine, then. Miroku, keep an eye on this kid while I go grab my armor. Since he wants to train so badly, we're gonna have a little match and see if he's still this cocky afterwards", Inuyasha declared as he headed for the boy's locker room.

"Sure about that? Sensei will probably go off on the both of you", Miroku warned.

"We'll have plenty of time. The old fart's probably off goofing around and it won't take me long to wipe the floor with this kid."

And with that, Inuyasha left the incognito Kagome and Miroku in an awkward silence. But, Kagome could have cared less about that at the moment.

_Wipe the floor with me? Where the hell does he get off acting all cocky like that? Oh … right, he thinks I'm some smart-aleck Kendo Club member. Gah! What am I gonna do? Having a match won't be too much of a problem since it'll buy me some time, but it won't last forever and then I'll be stuck again. Ah, Mou!_

A minute later, Inuyasha reappeared with his protective gear half way on, about to put on his men and kote, "Hope you don't mind us skipping the formalities so we can just start."

Realizing the statement was directed towards her, Kagome nodded and went to meet Inuyasha in the middle of the taped-off match area.

"Miroku, you referee for us", Inuyasha commanded while he and Kagome drew their shinai and prepared their stances.

"Alright then, but I warned you. We'll make it a standard two out of three match. Since this isn't an official match, we won't worry about calling fouls, but try not to kill each other", Miroku explained and then raised and dropped his arm to signal the start of the match, "Begin!"

Immediately, the two began crossing tips with their shinai feeling out the other's tension or lack thereof and occasionally emitting shouts – typical of kendo matches – while waiting for an opening. Even though she was just having a mental freak out two seconds ago, Kagome was now calm and focused, watching for any slight deviation in Inuyasha's movement.

And then, Kagome noticed Inuyasha begin to slightly raise his shinai higher. He was going for a head strike early on – most likely to intimidate her and to show off, too. But, Kagome wasn't some amateur and knew exactly what he was planning. The second Inuyasha made his advance, Kagome quickly thwarted his shinai with her own and evaded off to the side. She had moved so fast that Inuyasha didn't even get the chance to call out his target. Inuyasha had barely even noticed his opponent had eluded his attempt at a strike before he turned to find the guy awaiting his next attack.

_What the-? When did he move? The guy was just standing right in front of me; how did he get over there so quick? I haven't seen anyone from the Kendo Club or even the Kendo Team move that fast before. But, he has on a uniform, so he has to be in the Kendo Club, right?_

But, Inuyasha didn't have time to be figuring out who the guy was, so he pushed his bewilderment to the back of his mind and went straight at Kagome for another head strike. This time he didn't hold back and put all his strength into the shinai as he aimed for the top of his opponent's head.

Suddenly, Inuyasha's shinai was firmly halted by his adversary's own shinai and then quickly shoved away so forcefully that he lost his grip on his weapon. Inuyasha had a split second to realize his opponent had disarmed him and that he was now wide open for an attack before he heard the shout of "MEN!" and felt an extremely powerful strike across the top of his head-guard.

After swiftly striking her opponent, Kagome made a smooth turn-about and poised herself for the next attack. However, it seemed that Inuyasha had become a statue. He hadn't made any moves to reclaim his fallen shinai or to even face her.

_Uh-oh. What's wrong with him? I didn't think I had hit him that hard. I was actually holding back a little. He couldn't have been hurt or gotten brain damage from such a weak attack, right? Hey, why hasn't the ref called my strike yet?_

Despite Kagome's half-hearted concerns, Inuyasha's brain was working just fine. In fact, it was going into over drive.

_Wha-what just happened? I went at him at my top speed, but I didn't even see that guy make a move at me. And that strike … I've never felt a strike like that. Not even from Totosai._

Off to the side of the two kendoka, Miroku stared in astonishment at what he had just witnessed. He had never seen anyone strike a point on Inuyasha so easily. It seemed like this unidentified kendoka didn't even have to try very hard at all to score that point, too. Miroku then noticed the mystery guy was staring over in his direction. Without needing any words from the guy or even a facial expression to read off of, Miroku suspected he was waiting for him to make the call on the strike.

"H-head strike," Miroku tentatively called out which seemed to be what Inuyasha needed to bring him out of his daze. He then picked up his shinai and faced his opponent. Inuyasha knew he was in trouble of losing the match and was starting to get edgy, but he couldn't let this guy see that. He had to keep his cool.

"Keh. Not bad, kid. That was a lucky shot, but don't get cocky cuz now I'm kicking things up a notch", Inuyasha taunted as he drew up his shinai with Kagome's.

_Lucky shot my ass. Who does he think he's fooling? Mou, looks like I'm gonna have to show him to take me more seriously._

This time without waiting for Inuyasha to make a move, Kagome excelled forward and maneuvered around Inuyasha's shinai. Once again, she shouted "MEN!" and struck the throat section of Inuyasha's head-guard. Kagome put so much strength behind her strike that it picked Inuyasha's feet up at least half an inch and then sent him flying to land sprawled on the floor.

Miroku couldn't believe his eyes. The guy had thrown Inuyasha off his feet with a throat strike – practically the most dangerous attack in kendo. Worried that Inuyasha had been injured, Miroku darted after him yelling, "Oh, shit! Inuyasha are you …"

"I'm fine, Miroku! Just stay there!" Inuyasha stopped him as he propped himself up on his forearms and pulled off his head guard so he could catch his breath. He wasn't seriously injured, but he still grimaced as he tried to move after being thrown on his back like that. However, Inuyasha ignored any pain he felt as his mind spun at the results of their match.

_What happened? I'm the __most experienced__ kendoka at this school__. But, this guy ... this guy defeated me without even breaking a sweat.__ He's just standing there like that whole match was practically nothing, even after using that throat strike. Who __the hell __is he?_, Inuyasha's thoughts raced as he still laid there on the floor.

Even though she appeared perfectly calm and composed to Inuyasha, Kagome was internally panicking after realizing what she had just done.

_Oh, crap! __What did I get myself into? I was just going to bide myself some more time to think of a way out of this mess, but instead I went and lost my temper. Now, I'm in even bigger trouble. I should have never come to the dojo today!_, Kagome chastised herself.

Abruptly, the dojo's door was slammed open, quickly drawing the three teenagers' attention to the rather irritated looking Totosai in the doorway.

"Hayashi! Fukui! Explain to me why you two are in here fooling around instead of out on the track field with your team", Totosai demanded as he approached them.

Miroku was the first to respond with, "Sensei, we finished our laps before the others, so we came back here to wait. But, we found this guy …"

"That is no excuse. Even if you finished your required laps you should have continued training with your team. Now, I want both of you to go back to the track field and tell your team that you all have 50 more laps."

At that declaration, Inuyasha finally pushed himself to his feet.

"And, what about this guy, sensei?" Inuyasha questioned as he gestured his shinai towards the mystery kendoka, "He snuck in here to train without permission when the dojo is only supposed to available for the Kendo Team today."

"That is for me to be concerned with – not you – Hayashi. Now I won't tell you two again, both of you go back to the track field and inform your teammates of everyone's additional 50 laps."

"Hai, _sensei_", Inuyasha scathingly complied. He removed his protective gear and placed them against the wall before joining Miroku at the sliding doors. Inuyasha took a quick glance back to the still masked enigma and then followed Miroku outside. Kagome let out a sigh of relief at their departing and instantly began removing her bogu.

"Well, it looks like you had some fun while I was gone, Kagome", Totosai chuckled.

"What happened to you, sensei? You said you would be back by the time I had had changed, but you didn't show up until just now", Kagome accused as she finished unlacing and pulling off her do.

"Actually, I had just approached the doors when I heard Hayashi challenge you to that match. I was curious to see how my top student would fair against an opponent like you, but sadly I was disappointed in his performance. It makes me question my appointing him to be the captain of this team, really. Then again, I didn't really expect him to come close to winning even a point against you."

"So, you left me to fend for myself so that you could test your student's abilities?" Kagome incredulously inquired as she placed her tare in the pile of armor.

"I truthfully had not intended for you to come here to fight one of my pupils. But, I saw an opportunistic learning experience for the both of us and just couldn't let it slip by. So, tell me what you thought of Hayashi's skills. Where do you think I should make improvements for him?" Totosai prodded.

Annoyed by Totosai's indifference to the stress she had endured, Kagome folded her arms across her chest with an irritated _humph_ and turned her head to stare at the wall. Totosai realized from her reaction that it was a lost cause to attempt coaxing a reply from her after his little stunt. He was about to apologize to her for the trouble and dismiss her to go home when she abruptly spoke up.

"Humility", Kagome disgruntledly explained, "He needs to be taught a lesson in humility. He let his guard down, underestimating his opponent and overestimating himself. Once he realized I wasn't some amateur, he became overwhelmed and was easily defeated. I could see that his physical strength and abilities aren't lacking. It's his ego that's needs to be improved. I'm sure that – if he were to knowingly face me again – he would be more focused and more than likely would put up a good fight. He could probably even defeat me."

"What? You honestly think Hayashi could win against you?" Totosai chortled.

Kagome regarded Totosai with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Totosai chuckled even more at Kagome's question. Now, she was just confused and ticked off again.

"What's so funny?"

"I apologize. It's just rare for someone to be as gifted as you who can still be so humble", Totosai explained.

"Mou. Why do you keep saying stuff like that? You keep talking about how I'm such a "gifted" kendoka, but I honestly don't think I am. Sure, I might be a little advanced for my age group, but I don't think I'd be any match against a _Sandan_ ranked kendoka. And, I'm certainly no match for a Kyudan like you. I haven't even been ranked at all."

After taking in all that Kagome had expressed to him, Totosai couldn't believe how little Kagome really understood about her capabilities.

_Does she honestly believe that the talent she just showed in that match with Inuyasha was 'a little above average for her age'? Was that level of skill really nothing special to her? If, that's the case, then there is no telling what she could do if she put everything she had into competing. But, Kagome is a smart girl. How can she be this oblivious to her abilities? _

Somehow, Totosai had an odd feeling, like he was missing something important here, but he brushed off the sensation, deciding it was nothing. If Kagome was still figuratively in the dark about her abilities, then Totosai supposed it was up to him to enlighten her.

"Well, if you really think that Hayashi would – as you phrased it – 'put up a good fight', then how about you and I make a little wager", Totosai proposed. Kagome wasn't quite sure what Totosai was getting at with all this, but now he had her attention.

"What kind of wager?"

"Well, it's more of a proposal. Next week, I'd like you to come back to the dojo and have another match with Hayashi. If he defeats you, then you won't ever have to come back here for another match again. But if you win the match, then you'll have to come back the next week again and have another match with him", Totosai explained.

"That doesn't make much sense. I win the match and lose the bet or I lose the match and win the bet? You know, I could just lose the match on purpose", Kagome reasoned.

"Being a Kyudan, I would certainly be able to tell if you tried something like that. However, I doubt you'd really make yourself lose a match on purpose. You were very competitive when you were younger and you still seemed to show a little of that same competitiveness in your match today. So, what do you think? Will you accept my proposal?"

Kagome didn't know what to say. It didn't seem like there were any risks. It wasn't like he made it to where she had to join the Kendo Team if she lost. Although, it might start to become a real pain if she had to come back every week and make up excuses for being home later than usual. But, it wasn't like Inuyasha wouldn't eventually win against her at some point. There really wasn't anything to worry about except for one thing.

"Alright, I'll accept the wager, but only under one condition."

"And, what condition would that be?" Totosai inquired.

No one can find out who I am; my identity has to be kept a secret. If someone does find out it's me, then the deals off," Kagome exclaimed.

"Fair enough", Totosai nodded his compliance, "Then, I'll see you here next week."

* * *

After the Kendo Team had finished its practice for the day, Inuyasha and Miroku both went over to Miroku's house. Ever since the two friends had joined their middle school's kendo club in seventh grade, it had become sort of a tradition for them to hang out at one or the other's house and work on homework together after practices. Due to Inuyasha's parents having random dinner parties and Miroku's family being busy running their shrine every now and then, they started planning ahead for whose house to go to in order to avoid interruptions in their studies.

As there was another dinner party taking place at Inuyasha's house, it was decided that this time Miroku's place would be their destination. Once they arrived in Miroku's room, Inuyasha promptly dropped his school bag on the floor and collapsed on his friend's bed in over-dramatic exhaustion.

"Make yourself at home, why don't ya?" Miroku snickered as he dropped his own bag and sat at his desk.

Inuyasha sat himself up from the mattress to reply, "Hey, you're just as wiped out as I am? That practice was brutal and then we had to walk all the way here, too."

"I never said I wasn't tired. But don't forget, I didn't get the crud beat out of me like you did by that guy today."

"Ugh, don't remind me", Inuyasha groaned as he reached back to rub his sore neck, "What was up with that guy anyways? We came back after those extra laps Totosai gave us and he was gone. Plus, Totosai didn't say a word about it."

"Dunno. Totosai probably wanted to teach you not to act so self-important like you think you have to know everything that goes on, or something", Miroku suggested.

"I could care less about the old fart's life lessons right now. What I wanna know is who the hell that guy I fought is."

"Well, you got pretty close to him during your match. You didn't see the guy's face through his men or anything?" Miroku uninterestedly prodded as he began to pull out his homework supplies and place them on his desk.

"No, I might have been close to him but the guy moved so fast it would have been impossible to see his face even if I had tried", Inuyasha explained.

"Then, there's not really anything to do about it, right? You didn't get a good look at him, Totosai's not going to tell you anything, and it's unlikely that you'll ever see the guy again", Miroku reasoned.

"I don't care. I've fought against some pretty strong opponents before, including Totosai, but none of them compare to that guy I fought today. I'm going to find out who this guy is and challenge him to another match, but this time I won't underestimate him", Inuyasha declared before he slid to the edge of the bed to pick up his bag and pull out his homework, too.

Now this sparked Miroku's attention. He'd never heard Inuyasha sound that adamant before. It seemed that Inuyasha's swift defeat earlier that day had affected him more than Miroku had originally thought.

"Wow, you're really serious. But, why do you want to fight him again so bad?"

Inuyasha stopped rummaging through his bag to ponder Miroku's question. He thought over his answer for a second before responding with, "Because, I assumed that it was just one of the Kendo Club wimps. I didn't take the guy seriously and ended up getting my ass kicked. That match was a real challenge of my skill that I haven't had in a while and I feel like I screwed it up. So, I'm going to fight this guy again and I'll put all I've got into it."

"Well, your determination definitely isn't lacking. But, there's not much you can really do right now so let's get started on this pile of homework. You don't have much longer until you have to head home", Miroku reasoned.

"Yeah, guess you're right."

* * *

**Glossary**

Sandan: 3rd Dan

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pwease review :3


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